Prelude to the Hunt
by Sssith
Summary: Harry, back to the Dursleys after Dumbledore's funeral, starts taking control of his life and preparing himself for The Hunt.
1. The Saint

_A/N: Standard disclaimers apply. Not mine...JKR's...yada, yada, yada. This is my first foray into posting at this site, so there might be some bumps along the way._

_The Saint_ was back. The residents of Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey had quickly spread the word that Dudley's cousin, Harry Potter, of Saint Brutus School for Incurably Criminal Boys, was again in residence at number four Privet Drive. Harry's presence this year, more than previous years, alarmed them because Harry was no longer timid and small. In fact, the Saint, a code by which they referred to this boy, was becoming a man. His lean wiry frame, which in previous summers had seemed frail, now conveyed an image of strength and resilience. The Saint's ill fitting clothes, along with his habit of strolling about the neighbourhood with his eyes cast downward, only served to emphasize the feeling of quiet menace exuding from the young man.

Harry, for his part, was unaware that he was the source of such unease. He was completely lost in his own thoughts, and had been since his arrival at the Dursleys three days previously. Harry's mind was still reeling over the events of the previous year. Indeed, not just last year, but each year dating back to 1991 when he had first discovered the amazing fact that he was a Wizard. His life since that point was so unlike that of his first eleven years that he sometimes thought that he had lived two distinct lives. The only connection was the time he spent in residence with the Dursleys each summer. This connection would very shortly be severed, as he was leaving the Dursleys for the last time. This consideration served to focus his turbulent mind, and it gave him a moment's peace to savour the realization that he would soon be forever done with this place.

That moment was short lived when many other thoughts came crashing back into his awareness. These thoughts demanded his attention and gave no peace or respite. He saw images of Dumbledore, lifeless, falling from the tower; Snape, cruel and taunting before disapparating at the gates of Hogwarts; red snake-like eyes with a chilling laugh; and Inferi rising from the teeming waters of the cavern. These thoughts focused Harry's mind to the task the late Headmaster had set him. Four Horcruxes had to be found and destroyed. How, in Merlin's name, was he going to accomplish this when Dumbledore, the most accomplished wizard of his age, had only been able find and destroy one? Running his hands through his hair he tried to divert this train of thought and found himself once again dwelling on images of a certain brown-eyed witch. "_I am a fool."_

"Wotcher, Saint", an indistinct voice called from behind him.

Harry blinked; aware, once again, of his surroundings. He found himself in the park just down the street from his residence. _How did I get here?_ _I thought I been walking for longer than an hour_. Tensing, he carefully reached to his left cuff where he pulled out his wand. When Harry glanced over his shoulder he saw a heavy set, balding man dressed in overalls and grinning at him. Harry kept his wand hand ready as he slowly turned. Using his peripheral vision he made certain that the park was empty except for him and this strange individual. Harry looked him over and was startled when the man's sparse brown hair changed briefly to vivid pink.

"Tonks?" Harry snorted, chuckling. "Has Remus seen you like this?" The thought of his old professor walking down the street, hand-in-hand with this incarnation of Tonks was more than he could bear and laughter burst through. Harry found himself sitting on the ground, tears streaming down his face, unable to control his laughter. It was several long minutes before Harry was able to bring himself back under control.

Wiping the tears from his eyes he looked up. "It's good to see you, Tonks. Is it your turn to mind me today?"

"Yep, but I might not be the only one. Officially, I am the Ministry's assigned Auror. Not sure if anyone from the Order is around." She paused for a minute and regarded him with a smile. "It's good to see you laughing, but how are you actually doing?"

Harry debated going with his standard, _Fine_, before he relented and decided on the more honest answer. "Not well," he said as he slid his wand back into its forearm holster. "Feeling a little overwhelmed by everything." He smiled ruefully at Tonks, "I can't imagine that any of us are doing much better these days." Giving Tonks a long look he asked, "How long have you been going around looking like an over-weight sanitation worker? And you still haven't told me whether Remus has seen this new look. I have a feeling it would scar him for life."

"God forbid," she responded, laughing at the thought. "He seems to like the original me. This great lout allows me to move around unobserved. Not that it would have made a difference with you. I could've shown up as Ginny and you wouldn't have noticed." She smirked as Harry's head snapped to attention at the mention of Ginny's name. "Would you care to talk about what _is_ bothering you? Not a great idea to walk the neighbourhood with your head lost in the clouds. I was at the Burrow the other day and I had a chance to talk with her."

Watching him carefully, Tonks could see the inner debate playing across his features. She smiled when he fell to the temptation and he asked, "How is she doing?" She could see his eyes become cloudy with a haunted look.

"She's mad, but otherwise well." Harry flinched. "Harry, I am trying to remain neutral here, but I'm honestly at a loss to understand why you did what you did. Snape and Malfoy both know about your relationship with Ginny. She tells me that the two of you were very public at Hogwarts over the last month. Voldemort is sure to already know about the two of you. Combine that with the fact that she's a 'blood traitor of a Weasley' means that she's already a target."

Harry's shoulders slumped and he crouched down to the ground. He idly played with some pebbles as he thought over her words. Glancing up at Tonks he quietly responded, "I know. But what chance do I have at offering her any of the things she deserves?"

"What do you mean?"

"What chance do I honestly have of reaching the ripe old age of twenty-five? Or even eighteen or nineteen. I am not trying to be fatalistic but I do have an insane Dark wizard who wants my head."

Frowning Tonks said, "Two things, both of which you'd have thought of by now, if you were thinking clearly. First, there are no guarantees in this life of ours, insane Dark wizard or not. And secondly, you're doing Ginny a disservice by not talking to her about it. Just promise me that you'll think about it." She reached out and punched Harry in the arm, startling him. "I swear, you Gryffindor men are more trouble than you're worth."

A slight smile creased Harry's features at that comment. "We are worth it," he stubbornly insisted. "Speaking of noble Gryffindors, can you pass a message to Remus?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, I have been revising with my Occlumency books but still not making progress with it. All the books talk about needing to clear your mind before you can begin. Some of my books have suggestions, but so far I've been unable to do this. I am hoping that he might be able to help me figure this out."

"Sure, Saint, anything for you," she quipped.

"Ok, what is this 'Saint' business? I think that is the second time that you have called me that."

With a look of glee Tonks launched herself into the explanation. "Did you know that the whole neighbourhood's terrified of you?" Laughing at Harry's astonishment she continued, "Well, the Order and the Ministry Aurors have spent a lot of time here undercover. It wasn't difficult to see how all your neighbours react to you. What surprised all of us is that they refer to you in hushed tones as The Saint. Generally saints are well regarded but obviously not in your case. Once again you have managed to break the mould. It was one of my fellow Aurors who finally figured out that you were called that because they think you attend some school called Saint Brutus. Why the Muggles have schools to teach kids to be criminals is beyond me, but there you have it. Needless to say, your minders have taken to referring to you as The Saint."

Harry snorted and shook his head at Tonks' enjoyment of his discomfort. "You know, Malfoy used to call me Saint Potter. I really don't need another nick-name. I hope that it doesn't become widely known."

"Well," Tonks drawled with a smile playing at her lips, "I don't think you have to worry about the Aurors or most of the Order. Certain red-headed twins, on the other hand, did show unnatural glee when they learned the name." She laughed openly as Harry paled at thoughts of the mischief the twins might come up with using that moniker.

"They are going to be a nightmare," Harry sighed.

"Catch you later, Harry." Turning on the spot, she Disapparated away.

Looking around, he realized that the park was deserted and the time was getting late. Harry got up and quickly made his way back to the Dursleys, pointedly ignoring the look that a neighbour gave him as he passed.

_A/N: I'd like to thank my alpha, otherwise known as my wife, who puts up with my obsession. Also, I need to thank my beta, Tante, who helped to pull this into shape._


	2. His Confessor

_A/N: Standard disclaimers still apply._

After finishing his post dinner chores, Harry settled into his room to escape Uncle Vernon's persistent glare. This summer was an improvement over previous summers, but he did not want to press his luck by being constantly underfoot. Harry hadn't decided how much longer he would stay with the Dursleys. He wanted Ron and Hermione to spend as much uninterrupted time with their respective families as possible before he dragged them into unknown dangers. But, each day that passed increased his desire to owl them to pick him up. The thought of their impending journey motivated him to settle at his desk to research spells that might prove the difference between survival and death.

He was so absorbed in his studies that he didn't hear the doorbell ring. The walrus-like bellow of his uncle pulled him out of his studies. "BOY! Boy, get the door." Harry jumped and quickly made his way to the top of the stairs. Glancing down the stairs he realized that he was too late. His uncle's large body was already blocking the front door.

His Uncle threw the door open in one violent motion. "You! What are you doing here?"

A much quieter and calmer voice responded, "I am here to see Harry, of course."

"You can't. This isn't a civilized hour to come calling and I won't tolerate your kind thinking you can disturb us at any time of the day or night," Mr. Dursley spluttered.

The light voice responded in what sounded like an amused tone. "Come now, Mr. Dursley, what can you really do to stop me? Instead of posturing and being rude why don't you just invite me in? I promise you, Harry and I will stay out of your way."

"I'll tell you what I'll do," Vernon roared, "I'll have my freak of a nephew make up for this inconvenience. First that Bumbledor person, and now you, disturbing decent folk in their homes in the middle of the night. I won't stand for that. I'll make sure that boy learns what is right and proper."

"You will do nothing of the sort," Remus interrupted in a curt voice. "Here is a letter from our Minister of Magic granting Harry permission to use magic in the weeks leading up to his birthday. You see, the Minister is convinced that not only Harry's well being, but your entire family's, would be best served if Harry were allowed use of his magic at this time. Now if you will excuse me." Harry watched as Remus Lupin brushed past Mr. Dursley who was too stunned to do anything other than a credible impression of a goldfish out of water.

A bright smile broke across Remus' face when he reached Harry at the top of the stairs. He pulled Harry into a fierce hug and gestured toward Harry's room. "Why don't we step into your room so we can talk a little more privately?"

As soon as Remus closed the door behind them he waved his wand at each of the four walls in turn, ensuring the conversation could not be overheard.

"As Ron would say, 'That was bloody brilliant'!" Harry exclaimed. "What did you do to convince my Uncle about the letter from the Minister? A Confundus Charm?"

"Something even better," Remus replied. "I told him the truth. Here." Remus handed the letter to Harry, who quickly scanned it, eyes widening the further he read.

"This is fantastic. How did this come about? Why did he agree to this? I am not going to accept this if it means he expects me to be his lap dog," Harry stated in a rush.

"Slow down, Harry. A lot has happened since Dumbledore's funeral and we have a lot to cover tonight. Not the least of which is the question you forwarded to me through Tonks. Now, we might as well get comfortable." A quick glance around the room showed Remus a lack of anything which could be considered comfortable. A brief spasm of anger washed across his face before he sighed and cleared a space among the teenage clutter in the middle of the room with a couple quick flicks of his wand. Another quick spell transfigured a couple of Dudley's old items into a pair of comfortable chairs.

"Where to begin?" Remus muttered as he settled into one of the chairs. "All right, the new head of the order is Mr. Weasley." Harry's eyebrows shot upward in surprise. Remus let out a small laugh. "No need to be surprised, Harry. You know that he has a heart of gold and that he's well respected in the Order. What you might not know is that he's also a fine tactician. Plus, his position in the Ministry has allowed us to establish a new relationship with the Minister that wasn't possible with Dumbledore. Even better for the Weasleys, Arthur accomplished this through Percy of all people. While Percy is still not fully reconciled with his family, he is at least talking to Arthur. I am sure you can imagine how happy this has made Molly.

"But I digress. We debated the merits of several candidates. After some debate it became apparent that Arthur was someone we were all comfortable with. So Arthur is in and he has quickly moved to establish a better relationship with the Ministry."

"This all sounds like good news," Harry started. "While I am not very fond of the Minister and the Ministry in general, we are on the same side. Hopefully some good will come of this."

"Some good has already come from this." Remus answered, picking up the letter and good-naturedly tapping Harry on the head with it. "You probably noted that this document declares you a legal adult. Ostensibly it grants you access to your magic outside of school. However, it also means that you can take the Apparition exam. In all ways, you are truly an adult."

"You really haven't answered my original question. Does this put me under obligation to the Ministry?"

"No. At least not in any immediate and tangible sense. You have to understand that the loss of Dumbledore brought the morale of the Wizarding World even lower. Scrimgeour hopes that letting people know the Ministry is working with Dumbledore's old organization will help lift morale a little. It also helps the Ministry be more pro-active. From the Order's point of view, it gives us better resources when we gather reliable intelligence. Just two days ago, Ministry Aurors raided Snape's old residence. This was based on information we provided. In return, they allowed Sturgis to be among the people who go over the items found there."

"Should I be alarmed by the fact that you are telling me all of the Order's business?" Harry questioned. "Don't get me wrong, I want to know. But I can't help feeling that this is a remarkable change in attitude."

Remus smiled. "This is where I have a conflict of interest. I have permission to discuss these things with you. Moreover, I have been asked to invite you to join the Order. But, Arthur and I feel conflicted because we are loath to think of you and your friends fighting a battle that should be the province of adults." Remus held up his hand, forestalling the protest that he knew would be coming. "We care so much for you, and we wish you could be a normal teenager. But, we also know that there is no way we can keep you out of the fight that is coming. We also know there are some things that you are keeping secret. Things we wish you would share with the Order." Harry grimaced and looked away from Remus' penetrating gaze. "Despite this, we are still extending the invitation and we will respect the fact that you have your secrets."

Harry sank back into his chair as he contemplated what Remus had told him. He didn't want to isolate himself from the Order or the friends that he had gained among them. At times his promise of silence to Dumbledore felt like a millstone around his neck. All that was missing was the proverbial shove into the deep ocean. Looking back at Remus he stated, "You can tell Mr. Weasley that I accept. I think there are things that I will be able to offer the Order, and it'll be good to know what's going on with Voldemort."

"Good. Now let's talk about Occlumency. I was a little surprised to hear from Tonks that you wanted to work on this again. It's my understanding, from Dumbledore, that Voldemort sealed his mind to you. And that you have not felt a twinge in scar for over six months. If that is true, why would you want to focus you energies on it now?"

"On the night that Dumbledore died, Snape and I battled near the gates of Hogwarts. He practically knew what I was going to do before I knew myself. He countered my every move and I was helpless against him." Harry slammed his hand down on the table, shaking in anger. "I can't let him beat me so handily again."

Remus frowned in thought. "What you say just doesn't make sense. You are right that a Legilimens does have an advantage in duelling. And you are also correct in thinking that being an Occlumens will help you, not only against Snape, but also with Voldemort. But, everything I have read about duelling against a Legilimens indicates that their advantage is simply an easier time picking up the patterns of your thoughts. It shouldn't have been possible for Snape to know what you were actually thinking. A duel is much too fast paced to pick up specific thoughts. Unless…" He paused and absently looked to the ground. "Well, there is one possibility." Remus leaned forward and in a whisper he continued, "Snape might have put a Teacher's Hook in your mind."

"What! A hook? What are you talking about?" Harry jumped up from his chair and proceeded to pace his room. He stopped and spun to face Remus. "You mean that he can read my thoughts at will?"

"A couple of centuries ago," Remus intoned as he entered teaching mode, "it was a regular practice for a Master to put a Teaching Hook into the mind of their apprentice. It was a useful tool as the Hook allowed a Master to better understand his student's level of comprehension. Learning was greatly accelerated by this process. However, this teaching tool was outlawed because it gave unscrupulous Masters too much control over apprentices' lives. In a couple of extraordinary cases it led to the practical enslavement of the students. Since that time, the practice of using Teaching Hooks has been outlawed."

"How can you check for this and can you get rid of this? I can't tell you how defiled I feel." Harry collapsed back into his chair.

"You need a Legilimens. There is no other means for you to see if a Teacher's Hook is in place. Aside from that, I do think it is a good idea for you to proceed with Occlumency training. It will improve your duelling. When you centre your thoughts, you can approach problems with a clear mind. No amount of training will help you, however, if Snape has done what I think he has."

Harry looked up and leaned in close. "Can't you help me with this?"

"I have solid basic skills in Occlumency, most of the Order do. My skills with Legilimency are even more rudimentary. I can do it but it has to be with a very willing target. Even then I'm clumsy and I can't properly control what I see as I look for the Hook. I am afraid I can't promise that I won't see things that you'd rather I not see. I wouldn't want to violate your privacy or your secrets."

"It wouldn't bother me," Harry said bitterly, "if I didn't have to keep Dumbledore's secrets. I do trust you, Remus."

"There is one possibility that I hesitate to mention," Remus mentioned. "If you do trust me, there is a charm that you can perform that will ensure your secrets stay that way. Religious confessors often use this charm; it prevents the confessor from repeating anything the supplicant mentioned. If we did this I would be incapable of repeating anything you told me or showed me without your permission."

"How do you perform this charm?" Harry asked.

"The incantation is simple enough, _Quies Specialis Confiteor_, which basically translates to Intimate Quiet Confessor. The trick is to cast Finite Incantatem when you're done with your confession. Oh, and we need to be grasping hands when you perform the charm."

Taking a deep breath Harry muttered, "Ok, let's get this over with." Harry grasped Remus' hand and looking into his eyes he incanted, "Quies Specialis Confiteor." A feeling of electrical shock travelled from Harry's chest down through their clasped hands and into Remus. Harry could read Remus' surprise as the spell completed its work.

"Well, that was something unexpected; I think I felt the shock down to my toes." Remus laughed. "Well, now we can get a move on with my Legilimency. I want to apologize in advance as I'm sure I'll be as delicate as a herd of elephants running through the plains of Africa. Now please lie down, there is a good chance this is going to hurt."

Harry went to his bed and tried to get comfortable. The knowledge of what was about to happen kept him from being able to lie still and he nervously watched Remus cross the room and sit on the edge of the bed. Grasping Harry's hand again, he looked into his eye and quickly brought up his wand muttering, "Legilimens."

Remus found himself in Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster was behind his desk holding up a damaged ring with his equally damaged hand. The scene shifted and this time Remus saw Dumbledore standing before a basin that gave of an eerie green glow. The images and thoughts began moving more rapidly; Ginny smiling at him as they sat by the lake, Inferi rising out of water, Dumbledore falling over the parapet of the Astronomy tower. With a supreme effort, Remus took control of the situation and the images froze. Slowly feeling his way across the landscape of Harry's mind, he spotted an unnatural protrusion. He mentally imagined himself reaching for it and once grasped, he pulled sharply.

Harry could feel the intrusion; it felt as if someone was slowly pushing his way around in his mind. The sensation became almost unbearably painful when it felt as if a shard of glass was being forcibly removed from his mind. His body arched upward in spasm before it once again collapsed back into the bed. It was several immeasurable moments before he realized that someone was speaking to him and holding a damp cloth to his head.

"Harry, can you hear me? Come on, Harry, open your eyes. I shouldn't have done this." Harry could tell that Remus was very worried and he slowly opened his eyes to see Remus looking down anxiously at him.

"I'm fine. What's all the fuss about?" He tried to get up but immediately realized that he was much better off lying still in bed. "How long was I out?"

"About five minutes," Remus answered in relief. "You need to rest now. What I did was much more invasive than I anticipated and you'll probably have a splitting headache tomorrow. We have much we still need to talk about, but for now you need to sleep." Remus started to get up but stopped as Harry's hand darted out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Remus," Harry muttered, "thanks for being my confessor."

Remus laughed. "Who ever heard of a Saint that needed a confessor? What an unlikely pair we are. Now hush and go to sleep. I'll be back first thing in the morning so we can take up where we left off. Goodnight, Harry."

_A/N: Thanks to Tante for being my beta. Throw me a bone and drop a review. Thanks._


	3. Master of the House

_AN: Not mine, just having fun with it all._

Groaning, Harry rolled over. He cracked his eyes open. A ray of sunlight pierced his consciousness. He flung an arm over his eyes and muttered rude incoherencies.

"Come on, Harry, tell me how you really feel," a soft female voice laughed.

"Tonks?" Harry tried to sit up, but promptly fell back as pain washed through him.

"I must say that I am shocked, absolutely shocked, to see such a young man so hung over. I certainly had higher expectations for a Saint."

Keeping his eyes closed, Harry let himself relax. He felt the bed shift as a body sat next to him.

"Easy there, Saint. Yep, it's me, your favourite metamorphmagus. Now, I'm going to slowly pour a potion into your mouth. Your job's not to choke." She slipped a hand behind Harry's head and gently lifted it as she poured the potion into Harry's mouth. "There you go, let's give it a couple of minutes to take affect."

"What did you give me?" Harry whispered.

"I probably should have told you that before giving it to you. It's a Headache Relief Potion, a strong one. Mrs. Weasley brewed it for you. Did you know she's now the Potion Master for the Order? She and Madam Pomfrey are working together to make up what we lost with Snape's defection. Neither have Snape's flair with potions, but then we don't have to worry about additional ingredients with unwanted side effects, so it's an even trade as far as I'm concerned. Nasty piece of work, Snape is. Remus told me what Snape did to you and what happened last night." Tonks moved to the foot of the bed and settled comfortably across from Harry. "He sends his apologies for not being here himself, but he wanted to do some research on the Teacher's Hook. He's trying to make sure that he hasn't missed anything. Sent me to watch over you while you were out. How are you feeling now?" Tonks reached forward for Harry's hands and gently pulled him into a sitting position.

"Feel like someone's squeezing my brain and poking something sharp into my eyes; and that's an improvement over how I felt a couple of minutes ago." Harry slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bed and held tightly to his mattress. "Putting my feet on the ground seems to help."

Tonks laughed. "All the symptoms of a hang over without having had a drop to drink. Such a shame. Next time I'll take you drinking with me so you can end up in this condition on purpose."

"I'm so glad you find this amusing," Harry told her, "but if this is the end result of drinking with you, I think I'll pass. I don't suppose there's something else we can do for this?"

"First, into the shower with you, then some food, and I bet you'll feel just fine." She pulled Harry to his feet, bullied him down the hallway into the bathroom, and turned the shower taps on full. Waggling her eyebrows she teased, "Do you need help getting undressed?"

"No!" Harry backed away, turning beet red.

"Shame," Tonks sighed. "I suggest you just hang out in the water until you feel a bit more human." As she sauntered by, Tonks casually reached out and pinched Harry's bum. "Give me a yell if you need anything." With a wink, she closed the door leaving Harry to contemplate the nature of women.

Shaking his head, he climbed into the shower and let the water wash over him. As the pain faded, he found his mind surprisingly clear. He felt more relaxed than he had since before the battle at Hogwarts. After the shower, he quickly towelled himself off and pulled his trousers back on. Back in his room, he found Tonks lounging at his desk thumbing through the latest issue of _The Quibbler_. "Feel better?" she asked.

"Much," Harry replied. "I take it that potion had more to it than just pain relief."

Tonks smiled. "A mild Peace Draught in addition to the pain killer. Molly figured you could use it." As she gave Harry a once over she added, "If I had a camera I could make piles of Galleons selling a picture of you half naked and dripping wet."

Harry flushed from his ears to his navel, grabbed a shirt, and threw in on. Tonks' smile grew even wider. "You do realize your shirt is backwards and inside out?" Getting up, she quickly crossed the room and mussed up Harry's hair. "Saint, you are just too easy."

"And you are truly wicked!"

"Well, I'm outta here, Harry. You look like you'll live and I need to get to work. Don't forget to eat a healthy meal or Molly'll have my head. Remus wants to drop by later, but I'm not sure he'll make it." With one last wink, Tonks turned and left the room.

"Thanks, Tonks!" Harry called to the retreating sounds of Tonks descending the stairs.

As he dressed, Harry planned his day. He knew that he had a lot to organize and prepare. Ironically, number four Privet Drive would make a good place from which to work. So long as the wards were in place, and they should be until his birthday, he should be safe. He just needed to deal with the Dursleys and ensure that they wouldn't interfere with what he had to accomplish. With that in mind, he went down to make breakfast. He found his aunt cleaning the stove. Staying out of her way, he pulled the makings of a simple breakfast from the refrigerator. Harry ignored the contemptuous look his aunt gave him as he quietly finished his meal. As he cleaned the remains of his breakfast, ensuring that not a crumb was left out, he asked Petunia a question. "I assume Uncle Vernon will arrive home at the usual time?"

Aunt Petunia looked over at him. "Yes. We will have dinner at the regular time. Why?"

"I have something to discuss with both of you."

"I can't wait," Aunt Petunia sniffed as she left the room.

Harry smiled to himself as he thought about what he would tell the Dursleys that night. It would hardly make up for sixteen years of mistreatment, but he was looking forward to saying things that were long over due. After so many years of festering anger, Harry knew that he would have to be careful not to let his emotions get the best of him.

After one last glance around the kitchen, he made his way back to his room. He settled himself and contemplated what he might need to accomplish his quest. Pulling out a sheet of parchment, he started a list of preparations.

_1) Research – Hermione, Luna?_

_2) The Order – Talk to Mr. Weasley about coordinating efforts_

_3) Training – Advance Defence, Duelling, Portkeys, Stealth, Occlumency, Wards?, Healing spells, non-verbal casting_

_4) Tactics – Research for Ron?, Training with Kingsley or Tonks?_

_5) Flying – Hermione needs to learn_

_6) Equipment – Talk to Tonks_

_7) Finances – How much available, For Order, for travelling –muggle money_

_8) Communication – How to do it while on the road_

Harry reread the list. It looked deceptively simple, but he would be hard pressed to cover it all. Harry pulled out another sheet of parchment.

_Dear Mr. & Mrs. Weasley,_

_Congratulations. I admit I was a little surprised by your new responsibilities but I think it's brilliant. I can't think of anyone who would do better than you both. _

_Thank you, Mrs. Weasley, for your headache potion. The added touch was perfect._

_Would it be possible for you to come by here one evening soon? I'm hoping we can go over some things with regard to your new duties. Don't worry about my relatives. I'm planning a long talk with them tonight. I don't think that they'll be a bother after that. _

_Also, if Ron hasn't taken his Apparition exam yet, do you think you could take me for mine at the same time as his? The sooner I get that out of the way, the better._

_I wanted to take this chance to thank you for all the things you have done for me. You welcomed me into the Burrow and treated me like your seventh son since the first moment we met. You both taught me what family means and I'm thankful for all the time I've had with you. _

_Love, _

_Harry_

He read over the letter, folded it neatly, and placed it in an envelope. Then he pulled out another sheet and started on a second letter.

_Mate!_

_How are the Cannons and your mum's cooking? One better than the other, I'm sure. When are you going to start following a real team? I think our Gryffindor squad could take them._

_Would you do two things for me? First, start teaching Hermione how to really fly. Yes, I'm serious. Yes, she will do it. Just use that famous Weasley charm, God knows I have trouble resisting it. I don't want us to end up in a pinch where we need to fly and she can't. Don't tell her, but I'll get her a broom that should fit her style. I suggest you make the lessons very hands on. _

_The second thing I'd like you to do is start thinking about tactics and strategies. Try to envision different scenarios we might encounter and different ways of getting out. Get the twins involved if you want, but try to keep them in the dark as much as you can._

_Ron, thank you for always being there for me. I've been a right pain in the arse more times than I can count, yet you're still there for me. I couldn't have asked for a better friend._

_Yours,_

_Harry_

Before he started on the third note, Harry pulled out his old Charms textbooks. It took a couple of hours, but he eventually worked out a way to charm the parchment so only Ginny could read it.

_Dear Ginny,_

He stopped and stared at the parchment. He thought of the times that they had spent together. It had been some of the most carefree time he'd ever had at Hogwarts. Looking back, he could now see that she had never made any demands on him. Ginny never asked about his time with Dumbledore or pressured him to reveal any of his secrets. Her trust had been a balm for his harried existence. Without her, he felt as if he had lost his grounding and was more unbalanced than ever.

_It's difficult to believe it hasn't even been a week since I last saw you at the funeral. I'm not sure what possessed me to break up with you. Actually, that isn't true. I was, and still am, terrified to lose you to what is coming. But, Tonks pointed out that you're already in danger. Well, I still think you're in more danger being with me. And what kind of boyfriend would I be if I can't even say if I'll be there when you need me? I'm rambling, sorry. Back to the point. I shouldn't have added to your grief that day. And I should've talked to you about this instead of just breaking up with you. I'm not even sure what I accomplished other than making us both miserable. I'm assuming you aren't happy with how things stand. For all I know you've decided that you're well shot of me. I know I've made a mess of things. But I hope that you'll allow me to talk things over with you. It's what I should've done in the first place._

_Yours always,_

_Harry_

He sat back and reread the letter several times. With a grimace, he decided that it couldn't make thinks worse, folded it into Ron's letter and called Hedwig over. "The blank sheet inside Ron's letter is for Ginny. Make sure Ron gives it to her. Hurry back, girl, I'll have more for you later." With a low affirmative hoot, Hedwig launched herself out the window. Harry followed her flight until she was lost in the distance.

Dinner-time arrived all too quickly that day. Harry hurried down to the kitchen and settled himself in the seat next to his odious uncle. The chair across groaned in protest as Dudley sat down. Harry nodded at Dudley in greeting, but unsurprisingly, the greeting went unacknowledged. The meal began its usual routine when Aunt Petunia placed the food on the table. Harry sat back as his uncle and cousin attacked the serving bowls.

He served himself when the initial rush was over and ate slowly, watching his uncle and cousin gorge themselves. When he sensed that his uncle was winding down, Harry cleared his throat, "I have some things to discuss with all of you."

Vernon Dursley snorted as he pushed himself from the table. "Nothing you have to say is of any importance to me."

Harry smiled grimly at his uncle and in a calm, obvious manner, drew his wand. Uncle Vernon's ruddy face instantly drained of all its colour and he stuttered, "You ungrateful - you can't do magic in this house. This is my house and I'll not tolerate magic, no matter who's permission you think you have." Harry defiantly mouthed an incantation and flicked his wand directly at his uncle. Vernon's chair lunged forward into the backs of his knees and he crashed involuntarily onto the seat.

Harry stood slowly, wand casually between his fingers. He took a moment to look at each member of his 'family,' ensuring that he had their undivided attention. "I've waited and dreamt about this moment for sixteen long years," Harry growled.

Aunt Petunia gasped and reached out protectively to Dudley. "How dare you threaten us? We took you in. We gave you a home-"

"You took me in," Harry interrupted fiercely, "and gave me shelter. You provided nothing like a 'home.'" His voice trembled in anger. "You never once cared for me, never once showed any affection. You shoved me in the cupboard under the stairs. You showered me in ridicule; dressed me in clothes that never fit; neglected and humiliated me in so many ways." Harry could feel his magic roiling, barely contained. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "It is well within my ability to exact revenge."

Dudley tried to push himself away from the table but only succeeded in gouging the kitchen floor. His aunt's face lost what little colour it normally had. She regarded Harry with an expression of absolute terror. Harry aimed his wand directly at his uncle's face. "And you, you are the worst of the lot. No child deserves to be treated the way you treated me. You are a monster."

Uncle Vernon found his voice. "A MONSTER? How dare you!"

Eyes flashing, Harry slammed his hands on the table and roared, "I dare because I know! I am well acquainted with evil. I've seen too much death and too much hatred. And I am here to tell you that you are the worst excuse for a human that I have ever had the misfortune to know." Seeing that his uncle was about to interrupt again Harry warned, "Open your mouth again and I will ensure your silence.

"Fortunately for all of us, I will not lower myself to the standard of the Dursley Family. I will stay my hand, not because any of you deserve mercy, but because I want to live my life on my terms. I won't let you change the way I live my life or prevent me from becoming the person I am striving to become. Push me, however, and you'll see how quickly I can even the score.

"The good news is that I plan to be here only a few more weeks. I will leave some point before my birthday." Noting Uncle Vernon's perplexed look to his wife, Harry added, "The thirty-first of July, you prat! My birthday is the thirty-first of July."

Harry paused again and ran his fingers through his hair. Calmed, he continued, "Now, this is how it will work. Until I leave, my friends and colleagues will be welcome to come and go as they please. None of you will be rude to any of my guests. Until I leave, I suggest _you_ stay out of _my_ way. Do that and, as usual, I won't go out of my way to disturb you. Do we understand each other?"

"You think you can just threaten us?" Vernon tried to rise menacingly but the effect was ruined when he was unable to separate his overly large posterior from his chair.

"I prefer to think of it as 'coming to an understanding.' You can think of it however you please. In a few weeks, I will be out of your lives forever. That's nothing compared to sixteen years at your mercy. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Harry turned from the table and, without a backwards glance, climbed the stairs to his room. Closing the door, he slumped against it and sank to the floor. He had enjoyed the moment, but realized that it was just that, a moment. It didn't change who he was or what he had endured. He understood that he'd have to be satisfied with this one small moment.

Smiling, he wished that Ron and Ginny could have witnessed how he dressed down his family. Pushing himself up from the ground, he walked over to his desk. Pulling out another sheet of parchment, he started his last letter of the day.

_Dear Hermione,_

_You won't believe what just happened. I pulled my wand on my uncle. Yeah, I know you aren't happy about that. You probably want to lecture me about inappropriate use of magic. I also realise I'd be better off writing Ron about this, but I already wrote him once today. So, it's your turn to suffer my ramblings. The short version of the story is that the Ministry granted me permission to use magic. I used this opportunity to lecture my 'family' and set them straight on certain issues. Yes, they are still alive and human, though I was sorely tempted to transfigure them into pigs. Overall, I think you would've been proud at how restrained I was._

_Enough about that though. I wanted to let you know that I've asked Ron to teach you how to fly. I know you know the basics. I also realise you hate flying, but this is a skill that might really save us at some point. It also can't hurt to get some one on one time with your favourite Weasley, I'm sure. _

_Thanks for being my friend, Hermione. We have gone through so much together and you have always been there for me. I have no idea why you've put up with me all these years. I'm eternally grateful for it._

_Love,_

_Harry_

Harry quickly folded the parchment and put in an envelope. Moving to the window, he leaned out and took a deep breath of the fresh air. A cursory glance at the sky showed him that Hedwig was nowhere to be seen yet.

Harry pulled his Occlumency book out of his trunk. Rereading the chapter on meditation, he tried to put it into practice. As before, as soon as he cleared his mind of every-day thoughts, others quickly came to the forefront. Sighing in frustration, Harry threw the book across the room. Deciding that he'd had enough, he called-it-a-day and crawled into bed.

_AN: My thanks to all of you who have taken the time to Read and Review. They are appreciated! Chapter beta was Tante._


	4. Meetings, Money, Meditation

_AN -- JKRs, not mine._

Hedwig flew through the darkening sky. She kept close to the clouds; knowing that made it difficult for searching eyes to spot her. Hedwig had learned her lesson two years previously when an eagle attacked her en route to Hogwarts. After that, she ignored the discomfort of flying through the dampness of the clouds and learned to use them to her advantage.

Sensing that she was close to the Burrow she spiraled down. When Hedwig felt the familiar ripple of the Burrow wards, she spread her wings to their full extent and swooped into a dive. At the last possible moment, she pulled up and flew gracefully through the kitchen window, carefully settling herself in the middle of the Weasley's dinner-table. The family, assembled for their evening meal, watched in amusement as Hedwig held out her leg to Mr. Weasley. Once relieved of her burden, she slowly turned her head to each Weasley before hopping into the air and alighting on the back of Ginny's chair. With an affectionate hoot, Hedwig nipped Ginny's ear.

Laughing, Ginny turned in her seat, "Hi Hedwig. You're in a playful mood tonight. Here," she handed Hedwig a piece of ham. Turning back to the table she saw her father hand a Ron a letter while looking at one of his own. In a flash of irritation she realized that there was no letter for her. "The prat," she muttered to herself. Hedwig hooted comfortingly to her and Ginny leaned gently back, placing her head against Hedwig's soft feathers.

"What the?" Ron exclaimed. Ginny leaned forward and looked at her brother. He was examining a sheet of parchment with a perplexed look on his face. "It's blank." He looked back at the other sheet and went back to reading. Ginny smiled slightly as she watched the emotions play across her brother's face. _There's not a single duplicitous bone in his body, _she thought. _He's as easy to read as book. I bet that's why Hermione is so fond of him. It certainly can't be for his charming manners. _

As Ron finished his letter, Hedwig hopped off Ginny's chair, snatched the blank paper from Ron's grasp and dropped it on Ginny's plate. "Bloody bird," Ron said as shook his fingers. "I guess that's for you."

Ginny took up the parchment and glanced at it. "Well…I would've thought the 'Dear Ginny' at the top was a dead giveaway," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"What are you on about? That page was blank," Ron said snatching the letter back to once again look it over.

"Give it!" Ginny grabbed the letter. George in turn reached out and tugged it out of his sister's grasp.

"Look Fred," he said showing the letter to his brother.

"That's a nice bit of magic," Fred replied in appreciation. "Should we clue in our clueless younger brother?"

"Harry charmed this letter so only little Gin-Gin could read it."

"Very impressive. How long do you think it would take to break the charm?"

"I don't know brother mine. But I think it would be worth it to find out about a Saint's love life. Never realized they could have one. It should be very educational!"

Ginny's eyes narrowed dangerously as she watched the twins fawn over her letter. Whipping out her wand she flatly replied, "Give. It. Back. Now."

"Ginevra Molly Weasley! Put your wand away," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"Not until they give my letter back. Any move other than putting the letter on the table will earn them a reminder of what my Bat Bogey Hex is like."

"Easy there Ginny," Bill laughed. "The wonder duo is just winding you up." He walked around the table to the twins, who were warily eying Ginny. Taking the letter from George, he handed it back to his sister.

"Thanks, Bill. This family is too much sometimes." With a last glance around the table Ginny marched away to her room.

Ensuring that the door was firmly closed, she threw herself onto the bed. She took her time reading the letter. Ginny tried to imagine Harry writing it, tried to understand what he was thinking and feeling. His words surprised her. She was relieved that Harry was thinking things through and reconsidering his actions during the funeral. She couldn't refute that part of her was glad he was miserable. Why should she be the only one? Thinking back to the funeral she was glad she hadn't let her disappointment and hurt get the best of her. At that point Harry could not have been forced to see reason. She had decided that Harry needed to figure things out on his own. She wanted Harry to open up to her, she wanted to be someone that he could rely on. Harry was used to making decisions on his own and acting decisively on them. Ginny couldn't blame him for this outlook. Harry had a lifetime of adults he couldn't trust. Thinking on this Ginny realized that even Dumbledore fell into this category. She had no doubt that Harry loved his late mentor. But that did not change the curious chain of decisions that Dumbledore made concerning Harry. It's no wonder that Harry mainly relies on himself. Looking at the letter again she began to hope that Harry might be starting to understand that he needed people to rely on. While it had been both difficult and painful to watch him walk away from her, Ginny was starting to think that she had been right not to force the issue. All week she had been second guessing herself and wondering if she should have done things differently. Now that she knew Harry wanted to talk, she could wait for that to happen.

"Ginny! Come down here please," she heard her mother yell.

Sighing in exasperation she pushed herself off the bed and threw her bedroom door open. "What!"

"Come down to the kitchen. Your father and I want to talk to you."

"Coming," she yelled. Entering the kitchen she saw that Ron was still seated looking at his letter. She noticed that Ron's ears had a slight tinge of red to them, a sure indication that something Harry had written had embarrassed her brother. Her curiosity peaked and she tried to glance over his shoulder at his letter. Ron astutely folded it over until she sat down at her seat.

"What do you want Mum, Dad?"

"Well, we all received letters from Harry, and your father and I wanted to know how you both thought he was handling things," her mum responded. "We don't mean to pry, but we're concerned for him now that he's back with those awful muggles."

Looking at her mother and father shrewdly she responded, "There is more to it than just that, isn't there. What has he written that has you concerned? Does this have something to do with the Order? Ever since the funeral you both have been shuttling off to who-knows-where at all hours. What's going on?"

Her father sighed and spoke, "Well, everything Harry does is of concern to the Order. But that's not why we are asking. We don't mean to alarm either of you. Harry wrote a very touching letter thanking us for all that we have done for him over the years." Ginny watched as her father reached out and patted her mother's hand in a comforting manner. "While the letter was nice, it also had the feeling that he is trying to put his affairs in order. We are wondering if either of you got the same impression from your letters?"

Alarmed, Ginny glanced at her brother. Ron was frowning in thought and was idly fingering his letter. "Well, he did thank me for being his best mate. Don't know why he did that, he doesn't need to thank me for something like that." He paused and looked at his father, "But he also asked me to get some things done, and I don't think he would've done that if he was planning on running off alone."

"How about you Ginny?"

"He wants to talk to me about things in general, which is good. But

until it actually happens…" Ginny shrugged. Looking at her brother, who was once again rereading his letter, she asked, "So what did your letter say?"

With a distracted voice he muttered, "To use my famous Weasley charm."

"I hope that you are thinking of using that 'Famous Weasley Charm' on Hermione and not Harry," she answered with a smirk.

"WHAT! Of course I am thinking of Hermio. . ." Ron looked up at his parents in horror.

"AH HA!" Ginny shouted as her face lit with glee. Pointing her finger at Ron she continued, "About time you admitted that you think of Hermione along those lines. Now you just need to find your inner lion and tell her." She smiled widely at her brother.

Ron's face drained of color as he quickly got up from the table. "Bloody woman," he snapped as he stormed out of the room.

"And don't you forget it," she laughed at his retreating back. Slumping in her chair she muttered, "Boys." Looking up at her mum, Ginny noticed a myriad of emotions playing across Mrs. Weasley's face until 'amused' seemed to win out. "Mum, why do we have to beat them over the head with things?" She turned to face her father who was smiling so widely it was a surprise that he was not laughing out loud. "I should probably be asking _you_ this question, not Mum."

"Well, Sweetheart, there is no simple answer. Each young man has their own set of issues," he answered gently. "Ron, for example, has been best friends with Hermione for six years. I imagine that he is worried that he might lose that friendship if she doesn't return his feelings. It's a very painful thing to consider. I also imagine he doesn't feel worthy of her. As much as he's accomplished over the years he still hasn't reached the level of self-confidence his older brothers have." Mr. Weasley paused to take a sip of tea. "I need to have a sit down with him soon. I've let too many other things get in the way of paying enough attention to Ron."

Mrs. Weasley went and stood behind her husband, and hugged him gently. Smiling up at his wife Mr. Weasley continued, "Harry on the other hand is a completely different story. He has more burdens than are reasonable, and if that wasn't enough we should never forget how he was raised. It's a wonder how well adjusted he is given the fact that he grew up without any loving influence." Mr. Weasley smiled sadly at his daughter, "You have chosen a difficult path in Harry. I approve of your choice; I think the world of him. He is a fine young man, full of compassion and strength. But like you, he can be too stubborn at times. The fact that he wants to talk things over is, I think, a large concession for him.

"If I've a concern about you and Harry it'd be that you're not always true to yourself when he's concerned," her father stated softly.

Frowning Ginny asked, "What do you mean Daddy?"

"You've been our little fireball," he answered with fondness in his voice. "You were always pursuing your own interests despite having six older brothers that wanted to be in charge of you. You never compromised and always fought for what you believed in, and persevered for the things you wanted."

"A right difficult child you were to raise," her mother exclaimed in amusement.

"Then Harry came into our lives. If we had a cat, I would've thought it had run off with your tongue. It took a while for our little fireball to reemerge, and we were glad when she did. I think it is the fireball version that captured Harry's eye. If you want to be with Harry then you might have to fight for it Sweetheart."

"But Daddy he was the one who broke up with me. He should be the one who should decide if he wants to be in a relationship."

"Ginny," her mother interrupted, "being in a relationship is not about taking turns doing the right thing. You need to help each other, and when you have problems you need to work it out together. Do you think he still cares for you and wants to be with you?"

"Yes. But he thinks I'd be safer if I'm not his girlfriend," Ginny sighed in exasperation.

"These are dangerous times," her father whispered. Looking at his daughter he added, "Harry doesn't have anyone who can knock sense into him. If you don't it might not happen. Could you live with that?"

Ginny rocked back in her chair as she thought the question over. Pulling her long hair into a pony-tail she folded it over so the mass lay incongruously on her head. "What are you going to do, Sweetheart?" her mother gently prodded.

Ginny answered as she let her hair fall loose, "I thought I would wait until he gets here before the wedding. We should be able to talk then." Ginny looked up at her mother. "He is going to come, isn't he?"

"I'll try to make sure tomorrow when I take Ron over to Harry's place. I'll find out what his plans are then. Could you go up to your brother's room and tell him that we will be leaving first thing in the morning? You chased him off before I could tell him," her mother told her with a slight smile.

Ginny got up and moved around the worn table and give her mum a fierce hug. "Thanks, Mum." Leaning down she gave her father a kiss on the cheek. "Good night, Daddy."

With that she quickly made her way to the top of the Burrow where she knocked on her brother's door. "Ron? Can I come in?" She waited a moment before she could hear the shuffle of feet approaching the door. Ginny took a step back as the door opened and she saw her brother's face.

Ron eyed his sister warily. "What do you want? Need to take the mickey out of me some more?"

"Oh just let me in so we can talk." Not waiting for an answer she forced her way past her brother and settled herself at the foot of his bed. "You boys can be such daft prats at times."

"Am not a prat," he mumbled indignantly.

Ginny just rolled her eyes at his pronouncement. "You do realize that everybody knows that you like Hermione? It's not a secret. Why, I'm willing to bet that even Harry figured it out years ago." Ron looked down at the letter he was holding in his hands. "I'm sorry that I teased you earlier. You do know that it is ok admit how you feel?" She waited to see if he would respond, when he didn't she added. "Mum is taking you to Harry's first thing in the morning."

Ron tilted his head as he regarded Ginny, "You want me to take Harry a note or tell him something?" Ginny just shook her head no. Smiling he continued, "Do want me to brain him? The funny thing is that he probably wouldn't argue the point."

Ginny snorted at that thought, "No Ron. Harry's been a prat, but he is still my prat. I'll sort him out when he gets here."

"He's my mate, but you're my sister."

"Thanks Ron." She jumped up from the bed and gave Ron a hug. As she headed out the door she called over her shoulder, "Don't take forever to tell Hermione. And have fun tomorrow." With that she headed into her room for the night.

* * *

Harry awoke with the certain knowledge that something was not right in the house. It took him a couple of moments to realize the sense of strangeness were the sound of laughter that was originating from somewhere downstairs. He couldn't remember the last time he had heard that sound in the Dursley's home. The only laughter that he could remember was his uncle and cousin laughing at his expense. Shaking the last cobwebs of sleep from his system he took a quick look around the room and saw that Hedwig was sitting on her perch. "Good morning Hedwig," Harry said softly. "Are you ready for another trip?" Hedwig hooted and presented her leg. Smiling at his owl, Harry tied Hermione's letter in place. "Please take this to Hermione." With one last hoot Hedwig launched herself out the window.

Harry turned when he heard a second round of laughter emanating from the downstairs. Frowning, he pulled his wand and quietly left his room. With the refrain of _Constant Vigilance_ resounding in his head Harry made his way down the stairs. As he got closer he heard a voice talking, and it took a second before he recognized it as Ron's voice. Lowering his wand he rushed into the kitchen to find Ron, Remus, and Mrs. Weasley sitting around the table. All three looked up and smiled when Harry entered. "Oy Harry," Ron exclaimed as he got up. But it was Mrs. Weasley who got to him first, sweeping him into a motherly hug.

"It's good to see you Harry. Now we just need to get some meat on your bones," Mrs. Weasley said as she released him. "Come and sit down and eat some of the breakfast that I've prepared. I offered some to your family, but they chose to go out for breakfast instead. They seemed to be in a rush to leave." She made her way to the stove and fixed a plate of rashers and eggs. "I had to have Remus help me with cooking. Only he knew how to work this muggle stove. How muggles manage is a mystery at times."

As Harry sat at the table he said, "It's good to see you all. I didn't expect any of you this soon. Well, except maybe Remus."

Mrs. Weasley returned to the table and placed the full plate in front of Harry. "We all thought that there is no time like the present for taking your apparition test," Mrs. Weasley answered.

"What was the laughter about?" Harry asked.

"Well, Ron here has been regaling us with some of your misadventures at school," Remus took a long drink from his coffee before he continued. "Not the stuff that everyone has read in the paper but the small, everyday things that have happened to you over the years. I must say that Ron has a nice catalog of humorous anecdotes."

"Thanks mate," Harry muttered to Ron.

"Before you get to comfortable Harry I need a quick word," Remus stated. Getting up from the table he walked into the formal dinning room and held the door open as he waited for Harry to follow. When Harry entered he closed the door. "Stuffy, pretentious room. Fits the Dursley's perfectly. Anyway," Remus continued, "I need you to cancel the confessor charm on me."

"Oh, right." Pulling out his wand Harry cast a quick _finite incantatum_. "Sorry about that."

Smiling Remus answered, "It's not a problem Harry. I was happy to do it, and you were in no condition to lift the charm at the end of our session. We just need to be careful in the future to cancel the charm when we are done. Later today when, or if, we need it, we'll put it back in place. Now let's get back in the kitchen before we completely perplex the Weasley's."

Entering the kitchen Harry looked sheepishly at Mrs. Weasley and Ron. "Sorry about that, needed a quick moment with my confessor."

Ron turned his head in puzzlement while Mrs. Weasley just ushered him to his seat. "Quite alright dear, just tuck in. We have a full day ahead of us."

The group amicably chatted as Harry ate his breakfast. The four wizards then quickly returned the room to its normal level of cleanliness before Remus stated, "We are going to side-along apparate to the ministry apparition point. From there we will go straight to the testing center. We'll have to try and move quickly. There is no easy way past the atrium and it is likely someone might recognize Harry."

"Why not use a glamour?" Ron asked.

"We could, but they are easy to detect and dispel. I would rather Harry not get caught using one in a frivolous moment. If it becomes widely known that he uses glamour charms it would be easier for someone to catch him with one on. Glamours are most effective when seldom used." Standing, Remus pulled his robes over his thread bare clothes. "Ready? Alright, let's go."

As Harry reached out for Remus' hand he asked, "I don't suppose you'd let me drive?"

"No."

With that pronouncement they disapparated from the Dursleys' kitchen, only to reappear a moment later in the vast atrium of the Ministry of Magic. Stepping from the apparition point Harry took his time to take in the site of all the witches and wizards scurrying from one unknown point to another. This was his first, unhurried, glimpse of the heart of the British Wizarding World. The previous times he had been there included some of his worst memories; though being unjustly tried before the Wizengomott paled in comparison to the loss of his godfather. Harry pushed those thoughts aside as he joined the queue of people waiting to pass through the security check point. He noticed that the people looked harried and seldom took time to greet each other or look each other in the eye. "Depressing," he muttered to himself.

"Very," Remus answered. Harry look at him in surprise. "Come now Harry, surely you remember Snape's essay from your third year. The one that you had to do about werewolves? One of few benefits of being a werewolf is having heightened senses. Don't expect to whisper around me and get away with it. I hear all. It was a useful trait when I worked as a teacher. Back to the point, yes, the ministry is much subdued these days. As is Diagon Alley. Only to be expected in a time of war. Come now, let's have our wands checked."

Harry turned to make sure that Ron and Mrs. Weaseley were still following. "Wand, please. State your name and purpose of visit," a sullen voice in front called.

"Potter, Harry Potter; here for my apparition test," he stated as he handed over his wand.

"Right," the security guard answered as his eyes snapped to Harry's forehead. "Mr. Potter. Good to see you, here's your wand." As Harry made his way past the security point it seemed as if he could hear his name being echoed throughout atrium. A quick glance confirmed his fears as he saw people stop what they were doing and glance his way.

"Great." Turning to Ron, who was still on the other side of the check point, he quietly stated, "Catch up with us, and meet us at the testing point." With that Harry turned and swept through the atrium following Remus. With minimal fuss they made their way to the lift and then the Office of Apparition. Entering the small office he settled himself in a waiting chair as Remus checked in with the secretary. Moments later Ron arrived with his mum and Harry apologized, "I'm sorry I left you, but I thought it best if I got out of there."

"No need to explain dear." Mrs. Weasley answered.

Ron laughed, "It was a great site to see you striding through everyone and having them all watch you pass." He continued more somberly, "Though I reckon it will be more difficult to get out of here."

Harry sighed and leaned back against the wall. _These are the people who are expecting me to save them, _he thought. He thought more about the prophesy and his task. Looking out of the side of eyes he saw that Ron was fidgeting. "No worries mate. You'll be fine. Twas a fluke you didn't pass the first time."

Ron snorted, "Twas? What have you been reading?" Ron turned to look at his friend. "You haven't been sneaking behind Ginny's back to see Hermione have you?"

Harry snapped forward fully awake, "No Ron, that headache is all yours. Don't get me wrong. I love Hermione and all but I have never seen her that way."

"Good," Ron stated, "Though, I think you are mental."

Harry looked over at Remus and Mrs. Weasley who were happily chatting at the counter. "Did Ginny get my letter?" Harry asked.

"Yep."

Harry waited expecting to hear more. When Ron wasn't more forth coming he burst out, "Well? How did she take it? What did she say? She burnt the letter without reading it, didn't she?" Harry slumped in chair and banged his head against the wall.

Ron looked over at his best mate and shook his head in amused disgust. "You dug your grave mate. I'd be more sympathetic with you if it weren't for the fact that you are talking about my own little sister. Divided loyalties you know. I asked her if she wanted me to slug you, but she said no," Ron shrugged his shoulders. "She read your letter, aside from that you'll get nothing from me."

"Stop tormenting Harry," Ron's mum chided. "Harry, dear, they are ready for you."

Harry glanced up at Mrs. Weasley and realized that she must've heard a good part of their conversation. Scowling he jumped up and made his way to a grinning Remus. "Shut it," Harry said preemptively.

Remus just smiled and turned to the woman behind him, "This is Jacinda Howard, Harry. She'll take you through your test."

As Remus stepped away Harry stuck out his hand to the woman and shook hers. "Nice to meet you. What do I do now?"

"Well, Mr. Potter," she started nervously, "We have to apparate to another point with which you are familiar. First though, please step into this room. This is one of the Ministry's set apparition points."

Harry took a moment to consider where he wanted to go as he stepped into the new room. He knew that he did not want to go to the gates of Hogwarts. The memories of the battle were too recent. Nor did he want to go to Diagon Alley, the other common point in Wizarding World that he was familiar with. Frowning, it took him a moment to think of a spot where he could apparate. He decided that he would try for the point that Dumbledore had taken him on the cliffs over looking the ocean. While he didn't want to consider what was hidden beneath the cliff he did want to see the ocean again. He could only remember the vastness that the ocean had presented to him that night. He had often wondered what it would've looked liked during the light of day. "Ok," he looked at the dark skinned witch before him, "I think I'm ready." With that he reached out to grasp her arm.

As he gathered his energies a look of surprised horror crossed his tester's face, "Mr. Potter n..." Her voice cut off as Harry apparated them both to the distant shoreline. Arriving, the tester stood in shock, before she looked over herself to see if she was missing any parts. Sighing in relief she turned to address Harry, "Mr. Potter are you in one piece?" She grabbed hold of Harry and turned him about ensuring that he to was in one piece. "Honestly, I don't know if I should be congratulating you for side-along apparating us, or if I should fail you for not waiting for instructions. You weren't supposed to apparate yet, and you certainly shouldn't have apparated me with you to your destination. I think the fright took ten years off my life." As she paused to catch her breath she took note of their location. "Where in heavens are we?"

"The shore," Harry replied unhelpfully. "I don't really know where in England we are."

His tester regarded him in shock. "Please tell me you just didn't randomly apparate us to this shore point. That would have been very dangerous."

"Oh, no. I've been here before, Professor Dumbledore brought me one time at night. I just wanted to see what the ocean looked like during the day. I'm sorry about this; I didn't mean to frighten you."

Ms. Howard looked Harry over shrewdly. "Given who you are and what you have already done I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised at what you just did. Side-along apparition takes more skill and power. People generally do not bother learning how to do it until they have a special need or start raising a family. It's a separate license you see. Well, we had better be getting back before people worry about our absence. Can you picture the starting point in your head?" she asked. At Harry's nod she continued, "I might as well let you get the side-along apparition license as it is obvious that you are capable. When you are ready take my hand and bring us back to my office."

Harry took her hand as he gathered his energies and pictured the destination in his head. Closing his eyes he released his power and he felt the familiar sensation of being squeezed. When he opened his eyes he saw that he was once again back in the apparition office. Ms. Howard smiled at him as she said, "Well done. It looks like we are both intact. Let me go change the paper work so that it reflects that you have your side-along certification. It was a pleasure meeting you Mr. Potter."

After shaking her hand Harry exited, and smiled at Remus and Mrs. Weasley. Noting his smiling Remus asked, "I take it that you past your test?"

"Yep. Actually I got the side-along apparition license. I accidentally side-apparated Ms. Howard," Remus let out a bark of laughter and motioned Harry to continue. "Well, I asked her what I was supposed to do and she told me to pick a spot. So I did and just took her there with me. If we had a pensive I could show you her expression when we got there. She was very nice not fail me on the spot, and once she realized we had made it one piece she let me apparate us back to complete the test."

"Only you, Harry."

"Honestly Harry, you should know better than to do side along-apparition," Mrs. Weasley interrupted frowning. "I'm just glad you made it in one piece."

The door to the test area flew open and a jubilant Ron emerged. "No bloody eye brow this time!"

"Ron! Watch your language," Mrs. Weasley scolded.

"Good one mate!" Harry responded. "Ron, I need to go to Gringotts. I'll probably be busy with that for a while. Could you come by some time in the next couple of days, with Hermione? There is a lot we have to talk about." Harry turned to Mrs. Weasley and gave her a hug, "Thanks for taking us on such short notice."

"It's my pleasure dear. And Harry, don't forget that the wedding will be July 26th. You are going to be there, right?" Mrs. Weasley asked looking up at him. When he nodded she smiled and released him from the hug. "Good. Make sure you arrive a couple of days before the wedding. The house will be packed, and it might be a little crazy, but it wouldn't be the same without you there."

"I'll make sure he gets there Molly," Remus interrupted. "Now when we leave the office I want Ron to go first. Use that tall, lanky body of yours to push your way through the crowd."

"What are you talking about Remus?" Harry asked.

"There is a group of about eight reporters who have gathered outside. When we leave don't stop, but also keep your head up." Looking at the group Remus could see that Ron was curious, Molly apprehensive and Harry annoyed. _True to form_, he thought. "Alright, let's go."

Ron pushed the door open and took a step forward before he stopped. "Bloody he...," he turned a looked back at the group. "Looks like the crowd has tripled." Squaring his shoulders he started forward again. "Excuse us, coming through."

As Ron, not so gently, pushed a path open, the others followed. When the crowd of reporters spotted Harry there was an explosion of noise as each reporter vied to get Harry's attention. The questions were so overlapped that Harry had difficulty understanding them. After a minute of being shouted at he began to pick out the pattern of questions. '_Did he just take his apparition test? If so, how, when he wasn't of age.' 'Was he in hiding?' 'What was he going to do about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?'_ It was with great relief that they reached apparition point. He turned to Mrs. Weasley and Ron and mouthed, "_Sorry, bye."_ Leaning to Remus he whispered, "Meet at the apparition point outside Gringotts." With one last look at the reports he turned on the spot and disapparated.

When he reappeared he took a quick look at the sights of Diagon Alley. The casual shopper was no longer present; instead the street was partially filled with people who moved with a clear purpose in mind. Like the Ministry atrium, people avoided eye contact and hurried where they needed to go. _Sign of the escalating war, no doubt. At least this way chances are people won't notice me._ Turning, he quickly made his way up the steps of Gringotts and entered the shadow of a pillar. His wait for Remus was short. Remus appeared, and like him, took a moment to assess the area. Unlike Harry, Remus took a deep breath and then turned and looked directly to Harry's hiding spot. Smiling he ascended the steps. Harry stepped out of the shadows and said in a slightly affronted tone, "I did bathe last night. Did you really spot me by sense of smell?"

Remus laughed, "Yes I did. Most werewolves can cultivate this skill. Besides heightened senses another benefit is that I heal quicker."

Harry looked at the heavy ornate doors of the bank. "Well let's get this over with." Grabbing Remus by the elbow they started to make their way into the bank. "I didn't tell you want I wanted to get accomplished here. You might find it disturbing." Remus just cocked his eyebrow at Harry and waited for him to explain. "Well, I wanted to find out how much money I inherited from Sirius. I have some ideas that could use a serious cash flow." Remus smiled wanly at the joke. Harry sighed, "Sorry I couldn't resist. I still miss him. Anyway I want to unleash all the money in support of the Order and everything that needs to be done."

"I think Sirius would appreciate the irony of the Black fortune being spent fighting Voldemort." Remus paused and turned around to survey the crowd. "We are being watched."

It did not take them long to spot the diminutive form of a goblin making it's way to them. The goblin was immaculately dressed in an elegant dark suit, the very picture of a muggle banker. The goblin's high pitched voice startled him, "Mister Potter, if you and your companion would please follow me." Without waiting for a reply the goblin turned smartly on his heals and start moving away. Harry glanced at Remus with a perplexed look, but Remus just shrugged his shoulders.

"Well let's see where this leads." With that Harry and Remus hurried to catch up to the retreating goblin. The goblin led them on a merry chase before they finally entered an ornate and richly decorated office.

The goblin took his seat behind a large chestnut desk, opening a drawer and pulled out a stack of folders and documents. Looking up, the goblin noticed that both Remus and Harry were both still standing in the door frame with perplexed looks on their faces. His lips parted and slowly crept upwards in what Harry hoped was a smile. "Please sit. You would be Mr. Lupin, would you not?" At Remus' nod the goblin continued, "You both may call me Ravenspear. We have been expecting you Mr. Potter, since we learned that you came into your majority. I have been asked to help you with your three vaults, if you deem me fit." He paused and gave Harry a chance to ask any questions. When none were forthcoming he continued, "I have been managing the Black account for the last fifty years. Since the Black account is the largest of your three vaults it naturally became my province to manage your school account as well as the Potter account."

"What are you talking about? I only have the one account," turning to Remus he asked, "Do you know what this is about?"

"No Harry. I'm afraid I have little banking experience to draw upon." Remus looked back at the goblin, "Ravenspear, are you implying that the account that Harry has been using is not the main Potter account?"

"Indeed not, Mr. Lupin, the account that Mr. Potter has been drawing from was just a trust account for the purpose of taking care of his schooling." Ravenspear shuffled through some papers, before sliding them to Harry. "Please excuse my next question. We, of course, know that your parents and Mr. Lupin were close. But are you sure you want him privy to all of your business?" When he saw Harry nod he started to explain the documents, "The first details all the activity of the account that you have been using. The second details all the transactions made against the Potter account. I am afraid that the goblin responsible for that account did not do nearly so well."

Harry picked up the pages while Remus leaned over his shoulder. After a moment he pointed to a figure midway through the page. Harry look up Ravenspear, "I have over half a million galleons in my Potter account?"

"Yes, and I am terribly sorry about that. There has been little appreciation over the last fifteen years. You also own two properties in the town of Godric's Hollow."

"Two?" Harry questioned.

"I think I can explain that one, Harry," Remus answered. "I am guessing that one belonged to your parents, and was destroyed that night. The other would be the actual Potter homestead. I haven't been there in so long. I think you will love it there Harry, I have fond memories of my visit."

"Why has no one told me about this before?" Harry asked.

The question caused Remus to collapse back into his chair. Frowning he replied, "I don't know the full story Harry. I mean in terms of why you don't know more about your family. I can only tell you my story and how I failed you." Harry took note of how Remus was looking down at his collapsed and how agitated Remus sounded. Remus looked up, "I will answer any questions you have to the best of my ability."

Harry reached out and grasped Remus' forearm and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "That sounds fine, I can wait till later." Looking back to Ravenspear he asked, "What about the Black account? Where do we stand there?"

Ravenspear's made an appearance, as he once again smiled. "I took full control of Black investments when the Black matriarch passed away and her offspring was imprisoned in Azkaban. Since then I have been most successful in my investment strategies. I have invested the Black fortune, almost exclusively, in the Muggle World."

At this pronouncement Remus burst into laughter, and the contagious laughter quickly spread to Harry. It took a while for Remus to calm down. Whipping the tears from his face he asked, "I don't suppose Sirius ever found out how you investing the Black fortune?" When Ravenspear indicated no with a small shake of his head Remus continued, "Pity. He would've loved it. I'm sorry to have interrupted Ravenspear, please carry on."

"Yes, well the investments have been most successful." He paused to push a third document across his desk. "As you can see from this tally sheet the combined assets of the Black account have reached over eighty million galleons. It has been most pleasurable to have taken care of this account. The question of how we proceed from here needs to be addressed. Officially I have to relinquish management of the accounts. You are free to management them yourself or hire anyone you deem worthy to manage the accounts."

"Can't you continue?" Harry interrupted.

"It would be a pleasure to continue, but understand for an account this size the fees for management are steep. Gringotts takes six percent, or a minimum two thousand galleons, whichever is greater, of all profits. Of that amount I personally receive two percent as a bonus to my salary. If you find that acceptable then I would be glad to continue in my present roll."

Harry ran his hands through his hair, feeling very overwhelmed by everything that he had already discovered. Harry glanced at Remus looking for help. "Not sure what to tell you Harry. Never had these issues to worry about. The fees seem high but at least they are only on the profit," he shrugged. "Up to you."

"Fine. Mr. Ravenspear, I would like you to continue to manage my accounts."

Ravenspear smiled again, "It will be a pleasure to work with you Mr. Potter. But please call me Ravenspear, I prefer not to use your human honorifics. First order of business, do you want your accounts consolidated? I, of course, will collapse your trust fund into your main Potter account. The question is do you want to combine the Black and Potter accounts?"

"No. I would like to keep them separate. I would like to be able to give a couple of other people access to the Black account. I will soon be traveling with my friends Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. I want them to have both muggle and wizarding money available to them. Likewise I would like to have a means of getting galleons without having to visit the vault. In addition I want Mr. Remus Lupin to have full access to the Black account."

"Harry no. I can't accept," Remus immediately interrupted.

Harry continued as if he hadn't heard a thing. "So whatever you arrange for Ron and Hermione I want Remus to have as well. Can that be arranged?"

"Harry I said 'no'. It's not right that I can access your account," Remus responded with a tinge of anger.

Harry turned to face Remus, his eyebrows climbing into his low bangs. "I have many reasons for doing this and I promise you can yell at me later." As he turned back to Ravenspear he muttered to himself, "Almost as bad and annoying as Ron."

"I heard that you whelp."

"Anyway. Can you do this?" he asked again.

"It is unusual that someone gives such access to anyone who is not kin, but it can be done. I am sorry to say that you have to be tested by one of our people to ensure that this decision is not the result of coercion or dark magic." When Harry nodded in resignation Ravenspear pulled a tube with a mouth piece and proceeded to shout things in gobbledegook. He looked up from the mouth piece and asked them, "Would you care for some tea and biscuits while we wait?" At their nods he shouted once again into the mouth piece.

"Once we have the unpleasantries resolved, giving access to these people should not be difficult. We have pouches that allow galleons to be withdrawn. This money is then debited from your account. Likewise we can issue you muggle credit cards. This is done through a transfer account that we have with Barclays. Barclays is a muggle bank with whom we have a long standing arrangement. This card will allow you to withdraw muggle money from their machines and pay for goods in their stores. Will this be acceptable?" Ravenspear asked.

"All that sounds fine," Harry answered.

At that moment the door flew open and two goblins bustled in and promptly served them tea. These goblins were followed by two more goblins wearing what looked like long green lab coats. Between them they carried an odd bowl-shaped device that seemed to be made from pottery. The two goblins looked at Ravenspear for direction. He in turn extended one long sharp fingernail in Harry's direction. In a dry raspy voice, which was in sharp contrast to Ravenspear's voice, the goblin on the left spoke. "I will place this device on your head. Your kind finds this unpleasant, but it will last only a short moment." When the device was dropped on his head he suddenly felt as if every part of his body was disconnected from him. The numbness left him feeling disoriented. When the device was removed he lost his balance as his senses came back to him. Remus deftly caught him before he landed on the floor.

"You all right Harry?" Remus asked as he helped him to steady himself in the chair.

"That was the very definition of unpleasant," Harry muttered to Remus.

At that point Ravenspear spoke again, "Unfortunately the test was inconclusive. My associate thinks you are not being coerced but he also states that there is an aura of dark magic about you. I'm sorry."

"It's probably this," Harry stated as he pushed his bangs off his forehead exposing his scar.

The goblin promptly leaned in to examine the scar, pulling out a stout piece of wood, that was vaguely reminiscent of a wand. He took that piece of wood and pressed it against Harry's scar before he could react. The wood began to sizzle and Harry pulled back in pain. The goblin looked at the stick in surprise and then nodded at Ravenspear. Gathering their things the two goblins swept out of the office. "What just happened?" Harry asked while holding his palm to his forehead.

"I'm terribly sorry Mr. Potter. He should have told you what he was doing. The wood that he pressed against your scar comes from a sequoia tree. It has been imbued with magical properties by goblin spell weavers. As you might guess it reacts adversely to cursed objects. In this case your scar."

"I've never heard of a sequoia tree. Does this mean that I can't give any others access to my accounts?"

"We will be happy to do as you asked. My associate was satisfied that the dark magic was originating from your scar and that you are not being coerced in this matter. Please finish enjoying your tea, while I complete this paperwork."

"You know that I am not very happy with you," Remus stated in a low voice. Harry just smiled and picked up a biscuit. As he took a sip from his tea he looked at Remus and arched an eyebrow at him. "You look like the cat that swallowed the canary. Feeling awfully proud of yourself, aren't you? Well don't think this is over Mr. Potter."

Harry just smiled at this declaration but otherwise ignored Remus. They continued to ignore each other and just sat there sipping tea. After ten minutes of silence the door to the office opened and another goblin entered and deposited a package on the table.

"Very good," Ravenspear stated, "We are ready to conclude things." From the box he extracted three small pouches and two keys. He passed one key to each of them, Remus once again giving Harry an annoyed look. Ravenspear then closely examined the pouches before he handed one of them to Harry. "With this pouch you will be able to withdraw any amount of galleons. As I explained before, this amount will be deducted from the Black account. If you examine the clasp on the pouch you will see that it can be twisted. A small needle will extend from the clasp when you do this. Please prick yourself with this needle and the pouch will be sealed so that only you can withdraw money from it. These other two pouches work in the same manner. The main difference is that you can only withdraw a maximum of 100 galleons per day from them. When you give it to your friends make sure they also bind the pouch to themselves." He watched as Harry took the pouch and pricked his finger on the clasp. With that done Ravenspear handed Harry the other two pouches. Then he gathered up a pile of documents turning them to face Harry and Remus and he gave each of them a quill. They spent the next couple of moments signing documents as Ravenspear explain each document to them.

"I believe that this concludes our affairs for the day gentlemen. Unless you have any questions?" Ravenspear pause and look at each of them.

At this question Harry spoke, "Two things. I'm expecting that we will start making large withdrawls from the Black account. I hope that will not be a problem?"

"Not at all, I will make the necessary arrangements and adjustments to ensure you have the funds you need. You should also receive muggle credit cards by owl in a couple of days. Do you have a question about how to use them?" When Harry shook his head he asked, "Anything else?"

"If you don't mind me asking, I am surprised at how you dress. You look like a muggle banker."

At this Ravenspear smiled widely, "Thank you Mr. Potter. As you might be able to tell from how I have invested the Black fortune, I have a fascination with muggle financial institutions. Because of my success, my superiors have allowed me this eccentricity. If it bothers you, I can go back to the traditional goblin dress?" he asked uncertainly.

"Absolutely not. It doesn't bother me in the least. One day I will have to introduce you a friend, Mr. Weasley. He has a love of all things muggle." Harry got up and shook Ravenspear's hand. "Thank you for your time."

As they made their way back to the lobby Harry asked, "Do you think we could get some ice cream?"

"You find out you are a millionaire and the first thing you want to do is eat ice cream? Well Fortescue's is still closed but I do know a fantastic muggle place. We can easily apparate there. Before we go is there anything else that you need to do here?"

"I need to go to get Hermione a broom, and to Flourish and Bott's to set up some accounts for a bunch of people. I am going to ask a couple to people to work on a research project. You're one of them." Harry said with a smirk.

"Well Flourish and Bott's is just a couple of doors down. Might as well go there," Remus stated.

Harry wasted no time when they made it into the open air. Keeping his head down he quickly made his way into the bookstore. "This might take a couple of minutes Remus. I'm sure that you'll find a way to amuse yourself here. I'll meet you back here when I am done." Harry made his way to the register and waited until one of the workers had a free moment. "Excuse me, could you help me."

Without looking up from her receipts the witch responded in a disinterested voice, "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I would like to setup a couple accounts for some friends of mine. How do I do that?"

"You'll need to talk to the manager. His office is down the Divination aisle, then behind the ancient history section."

"Thanks." Harry turned and made his way to the Divination section. When he got to the end of the row he started looking for the ancient history section. Spotting it he turned down another row and made his way into the bowels of the book store. It was obvious from the layer of dust which most books sported that this was an infrequently visited part of the store. The row ended at another set of bookcases. Turning to his right Harry saw a sign that indicated he had arrived at the employee's office. He was about to make his way to the door when the sound of quiet whispering caused him to look over his shoulder. The shock of red hair surprised him. Recognizing the distinctive Weasley trademark he called out, "Percy?" Percy's companion immediately turned and disappeared down another aisle. Harry approached Percy slowly, a sense of wrongness cautioning him to be careful.

"Mr. Potter. To what do I owe do I owe this dubious pleasure?" Percy asked in a voice laced with derision.

"Wow, Percy. That was a dead on imitation of Snape. I'm impressed."

Percy frowned at this obvious rebuke. "Well, I guess he and I are both in agreement about you Potter. Now is there anything that I can do for you? If not I'll be on my way."

"Who were you talking to?" Harry asked.

Shaking his head Percy responded, "Not your business."

"Right. Well are you going to be at the wedding? Your mother would love to see you there, I'm sure."

"No. I don't see the point of catching up with that rabble."

Anger surged through Harry. The desire throttle Ron's older brother led him to carefully place his hands in his pockets. "Alright you arrogant berk. What would it take to have you show up and behave like a civil person?"

Percy just smirked at this. "Anger management is still an issue I see. Alright Potter, if you agree to meet the minister in a public setting and then agree to meet with him in private I will go to the wedding."

"Fine. Just remember that the deal is off if you are not civil at the wedding. Act as you are now and you can forget me meeting your precious minister." Percy nodded to and then turned and and began walking away. He looked back at Harry once and called over his shoulder, "I guess I'll see you at the wedding."

Harry took a moment calm his nerves and then knocked at the manager's door. It turned out to be a simple matter to set up the necessary accounts. In the end he decided that in addition to Ron, Hermione and Remus, he would also add Luna, Neville, and Ginny to the list. The manager assured him that he would send them a catalog of the available material and take care of any special requests.

When Harry got back to the entrance he found Remus sitting in one of the chairs reading a book. "Find something interesting Remus?"

Remus looked up. "As a matter of fact I found several things. Let's take care of the broom and get going. I have something that I want to try with you."

As they walked out Harry told Remus, "I ran into Percy. He was having a meeting of some sort in the back of the book shop. It was very strange." Harry then explained his agreement.

"Your heart is in the right place but I don't like you being committed in this manner."

"Neither do I. Well, we won't have to worry about this for well over a month, and he does have to behave like a regular person. I'm not sure he is capable. I got a really bad feeling from him, something just is'n just not right."

Throwing his arm around Harry and dragging him forward Remus said, "Come on Harry, let's get the broom, and not worry about this for a while."

Half an hour later Harry and Remus left Quality Quidditch Supplies, having purchased the latest version of _The Lady._ _The Lady _turned out to be the broom of choice for sophisticated woman. Harry had been surprised to discover a broom capable of flying a hundred miles per hour without sacrificing its handling or comfort. He arranged to have teh broom delivered to Ron, and he wrote a quick note that he attached to the package.

_Ron,_

_I didn't get to test out the broom myself, but it matches what I think Hermione will need. Try it out and if it doesn't work as advertised then return it._

_Harry._

_P.S. You have two days to make that decision and it has to be in perfect shape if you decide to return it._

"Hermione is going to hate the name of that broom. She'll make me pay for it I'm sure."

Remus laughed, "Probably, but it is a good broom for the reluctant flyer. I told you earlier that I wanted to try something with you. It is something that aurors train to do. When they pursue someone the suspect will many ties try to flee via apparition. Aurors will sometimes be able to follow despite the fact that they don't know the destination."

"They apparate without a known destination? You're kidding me."

"No they can do it. And seeing that you can dual apparate I figure we might was well give this a shot. You do realize that dual apparition is not something many wizards can do without practice?" he said. "Well, the way that this works is you have to focus on your subject. The things that I have read about this describe it as latching on to the subject."

"Latching? You don't mean physically, right?" Harry asked.

"No. More emotionally and mentally. The first time an auror was able to accomplish this was when the auror arrived at a murder scene while the killer was finishing up. By all accounts he was in a towering rage and all his energies were focused on the killer. He ended up following the killer through four or five apparitions before he caught the man. The auror in question didn't even realize what he had accomplished until after the fact. Since then aurors practice this skill." Remus stopped walking and looked around the street. "Alright. I am going to apparate to the gates of Hogwarts. Except that I will not be apparating in front of the gates. I want to focus on me and then try to follow and arrive as close to me as you can. Ready?" When Harry nodded Remus disappear with a muted crack. Concentrating on Remus, Harry was surprised to feel a slight tug on his consciousness. Harry quickly decided to focus on that sensation and he apparated it the direction of the tug.

Harry reappeared behind and to the left of Remus. Hearing his arrival, Remus turned and grabbed Harry in an embrace. "Brilliant! I actually didn't think you would be able to do this." Harry laughed at Remus' surprising display of exuberance. Looking around Harry could see the gates of Hogwarts in the distance.

"I thought you said we were going somewhere close to the gates."

"Nah. I just said that to be able to give you a fall back position just in case you couldn't follow me. Now I am going to apparate somewhere we have already been to today. Let's go." Remus disappeared with a quiet pop.

This time Harry didn't hesitate to follow the tug that he felt. In the next moment he found himself in the middle of the Dursley's kitchen. Harry laughed as he saw Remus repairing a dish that his aunt had dropped in her fright. "Sorry Aunt Petunia."

Remus turned to Harry with a smile on his face, with a wink and a crack he was gone again. Harry quickly gathered his energies and followed in pursuit. The two of them when through many different points before Remus stopped in a dingy alley that was behind a squat brick building. When Harry appeared a moment latter Remus cried, "Enough, I give up! You're too quick for me."

Laughing Harry responded, "Thank goodness, I'm not sure how much longer I could have kept this up." Looking at his surroundings he frowned. "Couldn't we have at least stopped on that hillside instead of this disgusting alley?"

Laughing Remus threw his arm around Harry's shoulders and started to drag him out of alleyway. "So little faith." When they got to the front of the building Harry found himself in a small street that was lined with muggle stores. Remus pointed to a weathered store sign that read, _Sweet Tooth._ "This here is the most brilliant ice cream parlor in all the land. Better yet they also sell all sorts of candies and sweets. I try to come here at least once a month."

They quickly settled themselves at a table having already gotten their choice of ice cream. Remus just watched as Harry devoured the sundae that was in front of him. He frowned a little as he realized that he so rarely had the chance to watch Harry act like a normal teenager. Sighing to himself he decided to wait until Harry was done before broaching the subjects that they needed to talk about. It didn't take long before Harry had placed the spoon down with a contented sigh.

"That was a credible imitation of Ron."

"Sorry. I was just a bit of slob there wasn't I? Great ice cream Remus, how did you find this place?"

"Just happened on this place during my unsettled years," Remus frowned as he thought back. "Well this touches on some of the things that you asked about in Ravenspear's office. Do you want more ice cream before I begin?"

Harry shook his head no but then held up one finger to Remus asking his to wait. Harry look surreptitiously around the room to ensure no one was minding him, then he pulled out his wand and muttered a quick _muffliato_. Looking at Remus he added, "That will give us a little more privacy."

Remus nodded then continued where he had left off. "At the bank you wondered about your properties and why no one had informed you about them. I can't help but feel to blame as I was your parents' closest friend who wasn't in jail. It should've fallen to me to help raise you and let you know about your parents and family. After that night, when your parents were murdered, I am ashamed to admit that I fell into the deepest of depressions. I trusted Dumbledore to see to your care assuming that a werewolf would never be allowed to care for a young boy. Honestly, at that time, I was barely doing a sufficient job caring for myself. I lost myself in the muggle world for many years, wandering from place to place taking on jobs. It was towards the end of that period that I ran across this parlor. Well, that's the reason I was never there for you before third year." Remus' voice trailed off as he looked down at his shoes, unwilling to look up a Harry.

Seeing Remus' shame Harry reached out and clasped his hand, "I'm glad you're here now."

Remus looked up at Harry and smiled wanly, "Thanks Harry." He squeezed Harry's hand once before letting go to continue his story, "As for the property, the Potters have a manor in Godric's Hollow. Near as I can tell the Potters have always lived there. It's where your father grew up, and it's where you should've grown up. Peter, Sirius and I visited there several times. We had grand adventures both in and out of the house. There was a large hill behind the house that led to some cliffs. We used to drive your grandmother to distraction by running through the woods at all hours. We loved to hang out by the cliffs."

"Why didn't my parents live at the manor? Why did they have a second house?"

"Well, Lily loved the manor but she also treasured the town. I think she missed the muggle world to a certain extent and wanted to live closer to town. The manor itself is on the outskirts of the town and the house sits in the middle of the property. Not a neighbor to be seen for miles. So Lily and James bought a house that was in town and allowed her to feel connected to muggle world. I'm not sure what happened to the manor itself. I imagine that Dumbledore had it sealed. Either way we should be able to go there once we have time."

"I was thinking of going there after the wedding. There is so much to do," Harry muttered as he ran his hand through hair in frustration.

Remus laughed, "I know you must get tired of hearing it, but when you do that you look even more like your father." Harry just rolled his eyes and smiled. "Now why did you give me access to your accounts? You better have a damn good reason or I'm not taking you out for ice cream again."

Harry burst out laughing at this. "Ok Uncle Mooney, I promise I'll be good and tell you what you want to know. First I don't think of it as my money as it was Sirius' money. If anyone should have access to this it should be you." Harry held up his hand to forestall Remus' outburst. "Let me finish. Whether you like it or not I want you to spend money on yourself. You deserve it. I think we both could use a complete new wardrobe." Harry reach out and pulled on Remus' thread bare coat to make his point.

"I like this coat," Remus protested.

Harry just gave him an exasperated look, "You need a new one. On top of that I told you that I am going to unleash all the Black resources to help the Order fight against Voldemort. I can't think of a better way to spend that money than to use it in this fight. I won't always be available to access the money for the Order so I want you to have access to the vault."

"Fine. But I'm not spending the money on myself."

"Oh for the love of Merlin! You're just as bad as Ron. Why on earth would you not spend some of the money on yourself? I'm not going to run out money any time soon, and I will still have the Potter account. I want you to enjoy the money and take care of yourself with it. It will make me feel better knowing that you are doing just that. You're practically the only family that I have left and I want you to share the wealth," Harry finished in a rush.

Remus pulled Harry into a fierce hug, "That is probably the nicest thing that someone has said to me long time. Alright Harry, I accept."

"Good. Now maybe you can also spend some of that money on Tonks. There would be some cosmic justice involved if she also ended up being a recipient of some of her mother's family fortune."

"Yes, there would be some justice in that," Remus said. "We have spent enough time here talking. Let's grab dinner before heading back to your home."

Harry and Remus ate a quick meal at a pub down the street from the ice cream parlor after which they apparated back to the Dursley's kitchen. Their abrupt arrival startled the Dursley's during their own dinner causing Duddley to spill his drink across the table. An angry and red faced Mr. Dursley push himself from the table, "See here, I will not have. . ." his voice faltered as Harry pulled out his wand and turned to face his uncle.

"Will we need to go through this every night, are you going to bluster about every chance you get?" Harry asked with a snarl. "Please, give me an excuse to this," he added while casually twirling his wand. When his uncle sank back into his chair Harry slipped his wand back into his pocket. Turning to leave the kitchen he called back over his shoulder,  
"Aunt Petunia Remus might be staying in the guest bedroom. Don't worry yourself about it. If he does stay I'll set up the room."

When they got back to Harry's room he asked Remus, "Can you stay? I am hoping you could start helping me with Occlumency and a couple other things. Where are you staying these days anyway?"

"I have been staying in one of the rooms at headquarters, and unfortunately I have to go back tonight. But I will gather some things and stay with you for a while here. I agree that it will more practical to be here in order to get some things done." Harry brightened at the thought of having some company. "Now we need to get things settled in here. We are not going to start with Occlumency per-se. Rather we are going to concentrate on meditation and clearing your mind. Without that I do not think we will get far with Occlumency. It's a pity I am not better suited to teach you this." Having said this, Remus set about transfiguring the items in the room. Before long the old decrepit bed was replaces by a simple mattress that laid directly on the ground. Likewise the threadbare carpet transfigured into something brighter and thicker. Other random items became large comfortable looking pillows and one became low table.

"What on earth are you doing?"

"Trying to make this room a tad homier. I'm also hoping to change it enough so that it doesn't feel like your regular room," Remus replied as he put his wand away. He then pulled the items he had purchased from Flourish and Blott's and placed them on the table he had situated at the center of the room. "I wouldn't be surprised if all your negative associations with this house is making it more difficult for you to meditate. I want you to get yourself as comfortable as possible anywhere in this room. I am also going to light some incense as it should also help you disassociate yourself from your surrounding environment. Or so I read."

Harry looked at around at his nearly unrecognizable room. Pulling some of the pillows together near a wall, he slowly settled himself on them and shifted about until he reached some degree of comfort. "So you read? Haven't done much meditation I take it."

"None," Remus answered sheepishly. "I have done some research and I think we might as well try this method. Several books agreed on certain principles. I am going to ask you to close your eyes and simply focus on your breathing as best you can. As you do this you can expect the day's events to to play about in your mind. Work through those memories, sort them and think them through. The idea is that by acknowledging, and going over the events, you'll be able to settle your mind and move on to other things. You've already described to me how you have many thoughts that keep intruding. Don't fight them off, rather face them and come to terms with them. I also bought a notebook, diary if you will, that you can write down things that occur to you. The notebook is spelled to only open, and be readable, to you. Don't try to write long flowing prose. Just dot down what you will and move on. The goal is to recognize the things that are bothering you. Many of the books agree that the more time you spend working on this process the easier it will be to achieve a meditative state. I am hoping that once you get to that point it will be a better starting point to learn Occlumency. Do you have any questions?"

"Not really, I'm willing to give this a try."

"Good," Remus replied. He moved the small table nearer to Harry and lit the incense. Harry took the book and opened it, flipping through the blank pages. "I'm going to leave you for the night. Work on the meditation. If you start feeling frustrated by the process, break off and write in your diary about what is bothering you. Then try to resume your meditation. I'll be back in the morning and we can move on from there."

As Remus made his way to the bedroom door Harry got up and hugged him. "Thanks for everything."

"It's my pleasure. All my pleasure Harry."

Harry settled himself once more and contemplated his empty room. Sighing to himself he resolved himself to the task at hand. Closing his eyes he tried to focus his attention on his breathing. It wasn't long before his thoughts spun out of control. Pulling the notebook to himself he started writing. He spent the better part of the next three hours writing. In the beginning he found writing his thoughts to be difficult and tedious. The more he wrote and meditated the easier the writing became. Putting his diary aside Harry closed his eyes and once settled his body into the cushions. This time he was not immediately assaulted with the usual images that had so often plagued him. Instead his mind settled into numb exhaustion.

A tapping noise brought him out of reverie. Looking up he saw Hedwig perch on the window sill. He let her in and she quickly settled on her perch. Harry gently stroked her feathers as she settle in for the night. "I think you have the right idea Hedwig." Turning off his light he too settled in for the night.

_AN-- First -- A quick thank you to those of you who have taken the time to review or add me to your alerts and favorites. It means a lot to receive your feedback. _

_Second -- This chapter does not have a beta. Hopefully the errors were minimal and didn't distract from the story. From here on out I'm pretty much flying solo so I would love to hear what you think worked or didn't. Feel free to question me about the characters and how I portray them. If you take the time to provide feedback I'll make the time to respond to you. I hop __to become a better writer and, hopefully, you can help me get there._

_Lastly -- The next chapter is about half done. I'll post it as soon as I am convinced that it is readable._

_Thanks!_


	5. Memories that Matter

The next morning Harry awoke feeling refreshed, having had a solid night of sleep. He frowned for a second as he realized that something was askew with his perception. Throwing his glasses on, he remembered all the changes that Remus had done to his room the night before. Hearing a hoot from Hedwig he turned and looked up to see that she was regarding him with what could only be construed as puzzlement. Standing, he made his way to his long time companion and affectionately scratched her. Harry took a moment to feed her, and used a quick charm to fill her bowl with water. After showering and tidying up he rummaged through his clothes. It took him several long moments of searching before he found something decent to wear. _I need to get new clothes,_ he thought, _Dudley's old cast offs simply won't do._

Dressed, he descended to the kitchen, and made himself a quick breakfast. Ignoring the looks and sniffing that his aunt directed his way, Harry finished his meal. Just as he was making his way out of the kitchen his uncle and cousin entered. Seeing him his uncle stopped in his tracks and glared at him his fists clenching convulsively. Harry smirked at his uncle as he brushed past him and went up to his room. He settled himself as comfortably as he could on his new pillows and tried once again to relax and enter a meditative state. His mind quickly flitted over the concerns and thoughts were part of his daily existence. Comfortable that he had already cataloged those issues he found that he could set them aside. He focused his mind inward and started to follow the hypnotic rhythm of his pulse and breath. Unaware of time or surroundings Harry relaxed and let the tension drain from his body. Lost in his own body he heard neither the door creak open nor the heavy tread that rapidly approached him. Instead he became aware of another presence when he felt an old, familiar, and decidedly unpleasant tug. Reacting instinctively Harry ducked and rolled away from the tugging sensation. Opening his eyes, he came up from his roll with his wand fully extended pointing directly at his uncle's belly.

"What do you think you're doing?" Harry snarled at his uncle.

"Ungrateful cur. You've got visitors." With that his uncle disappeared out of his room. Harry quickly followed and made his way down to the front room. There he found Mr. Weasley and Remus sitting together. Mr. Weasley had the living room phone in his lap and was happily pressing buttons, listening to the beeping sound. Harry smiled fondly at the sight and wondered how this man was leading the Order during this troubled time.

Seeing Harry Mr. Weasley put the phone down, "Absolutely delightful. Ingenious how muggles manage. How are you Harry?" he asked as he got up and extended his hand to Harry.

Shaking his hand Harry responded, "Well, Mr. Weasley. You?"

"Very busy as you can imagine. Can we settle here to talk things over?" When Harry nodded affirmatively Mr. Weasley nodded at Remus. Standing, Remus took out his wand and performed the point-me spell. He then quickly took out four odd cubes and place one at each main cardinal point. When the last cube was put it place all four of them briefly emitted a dull blue light which brought a smile to Mr. Weasley's face. "Excellent. Portable privacy wards, very useful. Now Harry, I would like to officially welcome you to the Order, our youngest member ever. We would be foolish to pretend that you don't belong. With the Order's leadership I inherited many documents and items from Dumbledore. One of the items that I reviewed was his memory of the prophecy." Mr. Weasley's face fell as he said this. He continued in a lower voice, "I'm sorry that this burden has been placed on you. The inner circle of the Order knew part of the prophecy, but we had never heard the full thing. I, and the Order, will do what we can to help you of course. What I am going to ask you to do is to keep me as informed as you can about what you need."

"I'll do my best with that, but there are some things I will not be able to discuss with you and the Order," Harry replied. "Remus and I have found a way that I can discuss what I will be doing without giving up some security concerns that Dumbledore set on me."

"I'll have to live with that then," said Mr. Weasley. Smiling at Remus he continued, "I'm glad you're willing to rely on Remus. You two will make a formidable team.

"The next thing that we've to discuss is Grimmauld Place. Professor Flitwick assures me that the Fidelius Charm will last a couple more months. But during that time we would not be capable of allowing any new people to meet with us at headquarters. So we need to redo the charm. As the owner you can take down the current spell. But in addition to that I would like you to be our new secret keeper."

"Arthur, no. This is too much of a burden, he has enough to worry about," Remus snapped.

Holding up his hand Mr. Weasley continued, "I know Remus, but no other choice makes sense. I do not ask you lightly to do this, Harry. You've already faced Voldemort many times and the prophesy indicates that you are the one who will defeat him. The rest of us have no such assurances. I think the Order will be best protected if you are our Secret Keeper."

Harry nodded, "I'll do it. Just let me know when and what I need to do in order to perform the charm."

Remus sighed and frowned at Harry. "You've too much on your plate. You're spreading yourself to thin Harry. You need to learn to say no and delegate responsibility to others."

"I'll try to keep that in mind, Remus, but his logic can't be faulted. If Voldemort breaks me you are going to have bigger problems than just the fact that Grimmauld Place has been compromised." Turning back to Mr. Weasley, "This might sound odd, but how long does it take a Wizard to build a house?"

"A wizard who knows what he is doing, and has the proper materials and knowledge can build a house in less than two weeks. Like muggles we have people who specialize in building. But unlike muggles they can do it in a fraction of the time. Why do you ask?"

"Well I would like you to recommend someone you trust to completely fix Grimmauld Place. I want to make it a place that is worthy of being the Order's headquarters. It should have a new and complete potions lab, a training room, a fully stocked infirmary, and meeting room that isn't covered in layers of grim. I also was thinking that all Order members should have a port-key to take them to safety in case of an emergency. But to ensure that such a port-key doesn't compromise headquarters the arrival room should be specially designed so that you can only exit the room if someone lets you out. Finally the living sections of the house could all use new furniture and rooms could be made to be more comfortable."

"That all sounds nice Harry," Mr. Weasley said uncertainly. "But even the simplest of those changes cost too much money. Dumbledore left the Order with enough money to meet our operation costs. But even that will only last a year or two."

"Well, the Order's money worries are over," Harry stated firmly. "I'm putting the Black fortune fully at the Order's disposal. With that money I am hoping you will be able to better track Death Eater activities. I also would like to see that anyone going to fight has the best possible equipment and armor."

"Harry, this is your money. You need to think of your future," Mr. Weasley responded.

"That is just the point Mr. Weasley. I want to survive this war. I will not be able to lead my own life until this over. All the money in the world will mean nothing if we don't win. Also, I think the Order will be hard pressed to spend all the money in the Black vault. We are talking over eighty million galleons."

Mr. Weasley sat up in shock. Looking at Remus he asked, "He's joking right?"

"Not at all Arthur. Harry is very determined about this. So much so that he has given me access to the vault to better facilitate the Order's ability to access the money. I can't fault Harry's logic, and even if we somehow manage to spend all the money he still has the Potter account which will allow him to live comfortably."

"If you're sure, Harry," Mr. Weasley said uncertainly.

"Positive. Try to spend it all, I really don't want you to be conservative," Harry answered. Smiling wolfishly he added, "Find your inner Malfoy, and bribe someone."

"Well I don't know about that last one, Molly might object if I somehow managed to do that," Mr. Weasley paused and contemplated Harry. "I really wish I could refuse but I will honor your intentions. It goes against my grain not to be frugal, but so be it." Looking up at Remus he continued, "This will change how we go about things. We will be able to do so much more and we might even be able to implement some of Shakelbolt's ideas. As for your question Harry, yes I do know some people that we might be able to approach about reworking Grimauld Place. I'll have one of our aurors do a security check and then let you know."

"Before I run off to work, there is one more issue that I want to talk you about. We, the Order, believe that the Malfoy's are still supplying Voldemort with funds. With that in mind we are trying to bring extra pressure on them. We are in the process of gathering evidence against Draco Malfoy and his actions in allowing Death Eaters into Hogwarts. We've already collected the memories of Bill, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Neville and the teachers. We don't really need you to add to the testimony but I wanted to check to see if you wanted to add your testimony to the list?"

Harry rocked back in his seat as he thought over the events of that evening. He could easily picture the tears streaming down Malfoy's face as he held the wand on Dumbledore. Harry knew that Malfoy had been unable to murder Dumbledore, that he had lacked the cold bloodedness necessary to complete his assigned task. Was Malfoy a victim in this situation? Harry decided that - the fact that he was unable kill Dumbledore did not excuse him for allowing Death Eaters into Hogwarts. The battle at Hogwarts could be laid at the feet of the junior Death Eater. "No. I don't think I have anything to really add, since I did not witness Malfoy leading the Death Eaters."

"That's fine Harry; I think the aurors have already gathered enough information to go to court. In fact, Tonks has indicated that the aurors are already drawing up plans to try to capture the Malfoys at their manor. There is a chance that the Order will be asked to help support such an endeavor. I'll of course let you know if that is the case. I've also asked Remus to teach you, Ron, and Hermione how to pass messages using your patronous."

"That sounds good Mr. Weasley."

"Alright then. I'll be getting going, regular job and all. Is there anything else that we need to talk about Harry?" Harry nodded no and stood up. Remus moved about the room and collected the privacy wards and deposited them back in a velvet sack. Remus passed the sack to Mr. Weasley and they all walked to the front door. "If you don't mind I am going to pass the word to the rest of the inner circle that you're capable of receiving visitors. I know that a couple of them wanted to talk to you about various issues." With that Mr. Weasley apparated away.

Remus turned back to Harry and threw his arm around his shoulder. "How did the meditation go?"

"Better, much better. I actually spent most of last night writing in the journal that you gave me. This morning, however, I was much more successful than I've ever been before. So much so that my uncle was almost able to sneak up on me."

Remus looked surprise at that, "Tell me what happened."

Harry went over the events and ended by describing the pulling sensation that alerted him to his uncle's presence. "The pulling feeling was very similar to what I felt yesterday when I was chasing you."

Entering the living room again Remus settled in one of the chairs. "Well I have never read anything about what you described but it seems like a very useful trick to know. The account of the auror that first learned how to do an apparition chase never mentions using the skill for anything else. That's not say that there aren't other ways that such a skill might be used," Remus shrugged. "I suggest you try to develop that skill and seek to understand what things and situations bring out this ability. I should also teach you how to ward your room so that you are not caught again like that. A simple proximity alarm should be sufficient to ensure that you know what's going on. Do you want to go over any of the things that you wrote in your journal?"

Harry nodded, "But do you mind if we invoke that confessor charm again?" Remus answered by reaching out to grasp Harry's hand. Harry completed the charm and then asked Remus to secure the room a little better. As Remus worked on putting some privacy spells Harry asked him, "Do you think that you can get me some of those privacy cubes? I have a feeling that they will be very useful for me."

"That shouldn't be too difficult, Harry, especially now that I have access to the Black vault. I imagine that there is not much that I couldn't purchase if I tried hard enough. Those cubes are handy and take much less time to set up than all the spells I just had to do."

When Remus sat down Harry launched into all the details about the horcruxes and everything that he knew about Tom Riddle. To his credit Remus did not interrupt Harry's long story. Harry wrapped his tale up by explaining that Dumbledore had asked him to keep all of this secret. "That's quite a story that you have there. I'm not surprised that he asked you to keep it secret, but I also don't think he would have wanted you to tackle this problem on your own."

"Well, now I have you. And I must say that it feels good to have shared this with you. It'll be nice to have your perspective on this. Do you think Voldemort could've made more than seven?"

Remus steepled his hands in front of him as he considered the question, "Anything I have to add to the subject will be pure conjecture, of course. I agree with Dumbledore that seven is a likely number for the amount of horcruxes that he created. I've to imagine that there is also a limit to how many times a soul can be torn." Remus stopped at this point and cast about the room, picking up a piece of parchment. "Do you mind if I destroy this?" When Harry indicated no, he continued, "Now I am guessing, but I'm willing to bet that when tear your soul you don't control the size of the pieces that they get torn into. With that in mind let's tear this parchment seven times, each time in half. As you can see the first horcrux, the diary I'm guessing, had half his original soul. But each subsequent tear decreases the size of the soul by half. By the time we have reached the seventh piece you can see what Voldemort is left with," Remus concluded by holding up a small square of parchment. "If this is anything close to accurate then I would doubt that he is capable of creating another one."

"What about destroying them? I must've been terribly lucky with the diary. The ring almost killed Dumbledore," Harry stated.

"Well that is something that I can start researching. How are you going to track down the horcruxes?" Remus asked.

"Well, I told you the basics about what I learned about Voldemort. I'm going to try and follow his trail as best I can. I'll also go to Godric's Hollow and see what's there. I was going to have Hermione organize a research group. I thought between her, Luna, and Ginny - they would come up with more things that I could check. There is not much that we will be able to do against Voldemort until I track down those horcruxes."

They both lapsed into silence at that point. Harry flopped down on the pillow and thought about the events of the previous couple of days. His old anger of Snape returned as he thought about the teacher's hook. Part of him couldn't get over the invasion of privacy, and it left him feeling violated. Harry shot up as a thought occurred to him. "Remus…the horcruxes…Snape must know about them and that I'm trying to destroy them."

Remus' eyes widened in alarm, "You're right Harry, he would've been able to sift through your thoughts. He would've known about your meetings with the headmaster."

"But it just doesn't make sense. Why isn't Voldemort hunting me down? If Snape told him about what Dumbledore and I are doing I would expect that Voldemort would be hunting me down with everything he has. It would force him to step up what he is doing. Especially if he can't create new ones."

Remus considered Harry's words and took a moment before answering. "Well, I think it's safe to say that you are being hunted. Though, I agree that it doesn't seem like he's pulling out all the stops to get you. It could be that he simply needs to move the Horcruxes to safer locations."

"I wonder if he even knows were they all are," Harry stated. "It's pretty obvious from the locket that Dumbledore and I found that he hadn't checked on it since he had placed it there. It's going to be difficult enough to track them down without him actively protecting them and moving them around. I'm hoping that he doesn't trust anyone and hasn't let them know about his key to immortality."

"That seems like a reasonable assumption, from what we know about Voldemort. So we are agreed that he wouldn't trust any of his Death Eaters with moving, or handling his horcruxes. Given that I think you are right that he would have stepped up his attacks if he knew you were after the horcruxes. At the very least he would've started attacking those close to you, primarily Ron and Hermione. It's well known that the three of you share secrets."

Harry slumped back into his chair as these words hit home. Noticing Harry's distress he gently prodded the young man in front of him, "Harry you can't assume that your friends are in trouble because of you. Everyone has a choice in what they do with their life. Tom Riddle's choice was that of violence and hatred. That hatred in turn is countered by those who are willing to sacrifice themselves in the name of what is good. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna showed that they were all willing to make that sacrifice when they chose to follow you to the Department of Mysteries. Ron and Hermione don't just follow you because they love you. They also follow you because you are fighting an evil that they wish to oppose. You can't, or shouldn't, take that away from them. Everyone has the right to determine for themselves what they want their lives to stand for."

"I just want them to be safe," Harry whispered quietly.

Remus laughed outright at this pronouncement, "Well, now you know how we have felt about you these last couple years. Just remember that you can't keep everyone safe and that you need to respect everyone's choices."

Harry sat forward once more in his chair as he mulled Remus' words. "I hate the thought of them being targeted because they are my friends. What you say makes sense; it's just hard to accept. And Ginny," he paused as he grimaced, "I'm not even sure I want to know what she thinks of what I did."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. Now, let's get back to the matter at hand; Snape. I think we need to consider the possibility that he has not told Voldemort about what you and Dumbledore have been doing. I have problems trying to understand how he could've killed Dumbledore, and yet not have told Voldemort about the horcruxes. But, that is what we are left with, which means we must be missing a big part of the picture."

"I never did understand why Dumbledore thought he could trust Snape," Harry muttered.

"Neither did I. For me it came down to whether I trusted Dumbledore. I'm at a loss as to what to think now. Let's put this aside for now. Can you please turn off the confessor charm and we can move on to other issues."

Harry pulled out his wand and quickly performed the _finite incantatum_. "How about we take a break from all these weighty issues and go shopping. It seems that you are in need of a new wardrobe and I guess I could use some new clothes as well. Why don't we head off now and we can continue with some meditation and general training tonight. If you don't mind I'll have Tonks meet us for supper in muggle London." When Harry quickly agreed Remus sent a patronus message to Tonks.

"You're going to have to teach me how to do that. Send messages that is," Harry commented when he saw Remus' questioning look.

"Oh, that should be a simple matter. I figure that we can start doing spell work in the morning. Why don't you take a moment to write Ron and Hermione and see if they can't come over in the morning? I might as well go over the information with the three of you."

Harry dashed off two quick notes and sent them off with Hedwig. Remus had Harry follow his apparition trail into the heart of London. They then spent the afternoon moving from one shop to the next. By the end of the experience Harry had discarded the clothes he had been wearing and was comfortably attired in muggle clothes that actually fit him. Remus had used the occasion to teach Harry how to shrink, as well as lighten, his bags of new clothes. Given the fact that he had bought everything from trainers to muggle suits meant that Harry had ample opportunity to practice these new spells. To outward appearances the two men were each carrying one small bag. The fact that each bag contained many other smaller bags was lost on all the muggles that they were shopping with.

"You know, it's kinda nice having new clothes. Clothes that I can call my own. The thought that I won't have to ever wear Dudley's old junk is so liberating."

"I'm glad you like the new clothes Harry. I just wish we had taken the time to do this sooner." Remus looked up and down the street and proceeded to pull Harry to the opposite side, narrowly avoiding the heavy traffic. "We are only a couple of blocks away from where I asked Tonks to meet us. We should hurry though; we're running a little behind." With that Remus set a brisk pace that Harry was hard pressed to match without breaking out into a jog. In short order they arrived in front of a restaurant with a lighthouse picture below the name of 'El Faro'. Harry was peering into the restaurant when out of the corner of his eye he caught the sight of a lithe form brush up against Remus.

"Well hi there," said teasing female voice. "I'm supposed to be meeting my boyfriend here but I'm willing to forget about him in order to spend the evening with two dashing men like you."

The woman, who was brazenly putting her arms around Remus, turned and gave a Harry a saucy wink. "I'm sure you're boyfriend would not appreciate you cozying up two strange men," Remus responded with a smile. "Now Tonks, would you mind changing into someone we all recognize and love. I think you just shocked Harry. The poor lad is not used to strange women hitting on him."

"Remus?" Tonks exclaimed in shock. "It can't be you. My boyfriend wears the dourest clothes imaginable. He's the academic type that hasn't shopped for new clothes in decades."

"Enough Woman! I'm not sure if I should be pleased or insulted by your comments. Harry and I took advantage of the afternoon and purchased some much needed clothing. I'm glad you appreciate the results. Now let's eat."

With that the three of them proceeded into the restaurant where Remus introduced them both to the joys of Spanish food. Toward the end of the meal it suddenly dawned on Harry that this was the life for which he was fighting. Now that he had enjoyed the simple joy of dinner with friends he knew that that he wanted to repeat the experience when there was no worries of war and fighting.

As the three of them exited the restaurant Tonks sighed and stretched, "That was a fabulous meal. We'll have to do that again sometime. It's amazing to think that more wizards don't venture out into muggle London when there are such treats to be had. And you two," she exclaimed, "look fabulous in your new clothes. I can't wait to tell Ginny what a dish you are in regular clothes. A little on the thin side maybe, but definitely delicious." At Harry's embarrassed stammering she smiled and kissed him on the cheek. As she pulled away she whispered, "Thanks for making him get some new clothes, Saint. I owe you one." She continued in a louder voice, "Well I'll see you two tomorrow at the Order meeting." She gave Remus a more passionate kiss before she apparated away.

Remus stood idly on the curb gazing down the street. "You OK, Remus? She didn't break you did she?" Harry asked.

"What?" Remus turned once again becoming aware of his surroundings. Seeing Harry's impudent grin he reached out and tussled Harry's already disheveled hair. "Shut it," Remus replied affectionately. "Considering the state of your affairs you are in no position to mock me."

"Don't remind me," Harry groaned.

Throwing an arm around Harry's shoulder Remus replied, "Come now, let's get back and see what we can do with your meditation." With that the two stepped into a side alley and apparated to the back yard of the Dursley's house.

His uncle's boisterous voice could be heard clearly in the backyard, "I can't allow this to continue Petunia. It seems that each time I go into the living room there is a different freak sitting there."

Harry cast an amused glance at Remus, "Looks like we have a visitor. I better go deal with Vernon before he collapses in a heap." Harry smoothed out his new clothes, and then pushed the back door open, and strode purposely into the kitchen. At his appearance his relatives fell silent and regarded him with open surprise showing on their faces.

"You disgusting little thief," his uncle snarled as he looked Harry over. Pointing at Harry's new clothes with one of pudgy fingers he continued his tirade, "Where did you get these clothes? Used your unnaturalness to steal from us honest folks, did you?" With each pronouncement Uncle Vernon's face took on a deeper shade of red. "Well, it ends..", realizing his uncle was only building up steam Harry quickly cut him off by stepping into his face and pushing his uncle back into his seat.

Placing on hand on each of the armrests Harry leaned in until his face was a scant couple of inches away from his shocked uncle. "Like my clothes do you? Well we figured it was about time that I had something _decent_ of my own. So Remus took me shopping, and I now have a complete new wardrobe. Where did I get the money?" Harry whispered with quiet menace. "Well, my _wastrel, no good, layabout father_ left me enough money to buy you over a thousand times over and not even notice the loss. When I leave here I want you to remember, and understand, that if you had cared for me in even smallest of ways you might have been able to enjoy some of my good fortune." With that Harry straightened up and walked away, "Now you'll excuse me. I believe you implied that I have guests waiting for me."

The sight that greeted him as he entered the living room caught him by surprise. Professor McGonagall was sitting in his uncle's favorite chair, sipping tea. She had an open book laying on the stand next to her chair, a testament to her long wait. "Professor," Harry exclaimed.

"Mr. Potter, I hope that things went well with your family," she spoke in her usual clipped tones. It was only the years of experience dealing with his head of house that allowed him to notice her distaste when she spoke of his family.

"Oh fine, ma'am," Harry answered automatically. "Things are much better now that I can perform magic. I don't think I can cure my uncle from being a git, but at least I can now prevent him from acting on his instincts."

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips even tighter at this pronouncement. "I'm sorry that you grew up here. While, I understand Albus' reasons I never agreed with them. I daresay that the only thing he was afraid about when it came to his death was having to face your mother."

Harry smiled at his professor, surprised by her light banter. "Professor this is a pleasant surprise, is there something that I could help you with?" As he said this both he and Remus settled themselves into the remaining chairs.

"Well, I spoke with Arthur earlier. He asked me to pass along the message that Moody would be around in the morning. He's going to bring Bill Ferny around to meet you Harry. Ferny is someone that can work on headquarters for us."

"That sounds great professor, but that isn't what you came here for, is it?"

"Indeed not. I have several issues to discuss with you. The first being that the school will reopen next year. The school board met this morning and decided that it was more important than ever that the school remain open."

"Minerva, that is great news," Remus enthused. "We never closed the war during my school days and I think it would've been a mistake to do that now."

Looking back at Harry she asked, "Will you be attending Harry?"

Harry looked at the ground and sighed, "No, professor. I won't be returning."

"I can't say that I'm surprised. Know that you will always have my support and that Hogwarts doors are open to you. Will Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley be accompanying you?"

"Yes, they will be coming with me. Your support means a lot to me. Thank you."

Professor McGonagall nodded at his simple thanks. "I should be vexed at you for taking away Gryffindor's best. We'll be hard pressed to win the cup this year without you and Ron on the pitch. Not to mention the loss of Hermione's academic points. But then I also need to remind myself that I am no longer the Head of House for Gryffindor," she smiled as she said this. "I do want you to remember one thing as you go about this task of yours. Do not forget that all of us are resources for you to use. From Hagrid to Madam Pomfrey, all of us are will do what is necessary to help you."

At these words Harry felt an up surge of conflicting emotions; a hearting warming realization of goodwill and support that she spoke of, and a profound sense of loss in realizing that his time at Hogwarts was indeed at an end. Not trusting himself to speak, Harry nodded to the headmistress.

"I also have some items that I would like to give you." With this Professor McGonagall got up from her chair and pulled a non-descript bag from behind the chair that she was sitting on. Settling herself again she glanced at Remus and asked, "If you don't mind Remus, would you please get them out of bag?"

Remus looked at the bag in puzzlement, "Is this what I think it is?" When he saw the headmistress nod he smiled at Harry. With a dramatic flair he pushed up his sleeves, and intoned in a theatrical voice, "Notice, if you please, that I have nothing up my sleeves. Now if you please notice the size of this bag I will endeavor surprise and delight you by pulling out something that could not possibly fit inside."

"Oh honestly Remus, just get the items out of the bag," Professor McGonagall said in a huff. Turning to Harry she went on, "Albus always thought young Mr. Lupin to be the least troublesome of the Marauders. Made him a perfect he was so convinced of Remus' upstanding character. Little did Albus realize that _young Mr. Lupin_, was the one who would always add the finishing touches to all of the Marauders pranks. He was the one that added the element of elegance to their games. Sirius could be counted on for outrageous ideas, and your father was the source of brashness. Together they were just terrible."

"You wound me," Remus said in mock hurt voice. "But how did you know this?"

"I had my ways of keeping track of you. Though the marauders surprised me more times than not." Pointing at the bag she exhorted Remus back to his task, "The bag Remus!"

"Oh right, sorry."

Remus smiled sheepishly at Harry and then opened the bag and reached in. Harry's eyebrows went up in surprise as he watched Remus sink his arms up to his elbows in the bag. "Cool bag Professor," Harry commented to Professor McGonagall. With a grunt, Remus pulled a large box out of the bag. With a flick of her wrist Professor McGonagall conjured a table on which Remus set the box.

"There is one more item Remus, if you would please get that one also," Professor McGonagall said. This time Remus dove into the bag without the theatrics and quickly pulled out a second item. Harry immediately recognized the item as Professor Dumbledore's pensive. "There is also a book that is in the bag." Once all the items where on the laid out on the table the professor continued, "As you know, Harry, this is Dumbledore's pensive. We've been going through his estate and following his instructions. He wanted you to have his pensive. The book will guide you on how best to use it. As for the box, I'm not sure what is in it, though I can hazard a guess. If it is what I think you will find it to be much more valuable than the pensive itself. The box, on its own, is extremely valuable as it is layered with many protective spells that make the destruction of it near impossible. The box has been keyed to you. Undoubtedly, Professor Dumbledore obtained some of your blood during one of your many stays with Madam Pomfrey. You simply need to place your thumb on the latch and the box will open."

Harry contemplated box and thought about the headmaster. A vision of Dumbledore falling from the tower, flashed before his eyes. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and concentrated on his meditation techniques. When he felt a little more in command of his emotions he opened his eyes and looked apologetically at Remus and Professor McGonagall. Then he reached out and carefully placed his thumb on the box's latch. With an audible click the box opened. Harry noticed that it opened more like a book than a traditional box. As he pulled the box all the way open a letter and small pamphlet fell out. The cover of the pamphlet read: _Index of Memories_. Realization dawned on Harry and he took a closer look at the contents of the box. He saw that the contents, or sheets, where all arranged on a spindle, and that the spindle had a small handle that allowed for it to be turned. As he turned the spindle a new sheet appeared on the left side, while one disappeared on the right side. Looking more carefully at a sheet he could see small slits cut into the sheet. To his eye it seemed as if the slits where arranged like small drawers, as they were evenly spaced and had small labels beneath each slit. Harry randomly reached into one of the slits and felt a small cylindrical object. He carefully pulled it out. When it came into view he heard dual gasps and he realized that what he was holding a memory that could only belong to Professor Dumbledore. Looking more closely at the small jar he was able to read the label, "_Conjuring – Inanimate Objects_". Carefully placing the container back into its place he started turning the spindle. Sheet after sheet appeared, each containing more memories. "There has to be hundreds of his memories here," he muttered in an awed whisper.

"That is a precious gift Harry," Remus stated. Looking up at Remus he saw an almost reverent look on his face.

Professor McGonagall on the other hand had a small smile, and she nodded at Harry. "I'm sure you will find those memories invaluable. Why don't you take a look at the letter?"

Harry picked up the letter and turned it over. His name was written in a spidery scrawl that Harry recognized as the headmaster's. Opening the envelope he pulled out the letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_There is so much to share with you and so little time. I have tried to buy you some time by putting together this collection of memories. They will help you learn the skills that you need to have in order to succeed. Originally, I was planning on giving you this gift at the beginning of your seventh year. It was my plan to guide you through the memories and train you personally in these skills. That was not meant to be. These memories have been constructed in a different manner than those that I have shared with you previously. Most of the memories are lessons that I've had, or have given, regarding various topics. In addition to that the memories include examples of how I used the skill in question. This second part will help you internalize the lesson more quickly. _

_I am sorry that I am not there to guide you through this process. If you encounter questions do not forget that there are many who will help you. You are not alone; do not push people away out of a desire to protect them. Your strength comes from your unwavering heart and your connections to the people around you. _

_Lastly, know that you are more than sufficient for this task. Do not let doubt cloud you, or let others say you from your path. Trust your instincts and let your heart be your guide._

_Yours, in perpetuity,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

"Thank you for bringing this to me Professor McGonagall. I'm a little overwhelmed by what he has given me."

"Guard it well. The value of that gift is beyond measure. Yet there is no one more deserving of this than you are." As she said this Professor McGonagall reached behind her neck and unfastened her necklace. Pulling it out from under her clothes she held it up for Harry and Remus to see. "This was given to me by my grandfather when I was a little younger than you Harry. It is a necklace of my clan. The necklace was something that was commonly given to hotheads who had a tendency to let their emotions get the better of themselves." At this she smiled reminiscently at the necklace. "Well, to make a long story short, I used to be one such hothead. My grandfather gave me this necklace in hopes of teaching me how to curb my impetuousness. The pendant has a charm that, when clasped, helps one think more clearly. It will help you set aside your emotions during times of difficulty. I want you to have this Harry." With that she stood and crossed the room and placed the necklace around his neck.

"Professor, no, I can't accept this. It should stay with your family, your clan."

"Nonsense, my son and daughter are long grown and moved on with their lives. It will give me much comfort to know that you're wearing it. Go ahead, clasp it."

At her request Harry held the pendant in his hand. Immediately a sense of calm stole over him. Closing his eyes he had a sense that he was sitting in a quiet glade that had a stream running through it. Only the sure knowledge that he was still sitting in his uncle's den prevented the illusion from being complete. A small smile played along his face, "This is wonderful." Opening his eyes he looked up at Professor McGonagall. "Thank you."

"You are quiet welcome Harry. It's getting late, so I will leave you now. I'll see you soon at the next Order meeting. Take care." With that she quickly gathered her things and took her leave.

"Why don't we clean up and settle in for the night. We have much to do tomorrow," Remus said.

Before climbing into bed, Harry went through the meditative process. As the sense of peacefulness permeated him he had an odd glow blue glow that appeared in his mind's eye. Snapping his eyes open, the glow disappeared. When closed his eyes again the glow was still missing. Shaking his head, he settled once more into a meditative state. After a moment the glow reappeared, only this time he was able to distinguish more than one different glow. When he opened his eyes again the glow was again missing from his room. At this point he decided that he had had enough and climbed into bed.

AN: Thanks to those that have taken the time to review the story to this point. Each one is very much appreciated. If you will take the time to write a review I will take the time to respond. The only catch is for those anonymous reviewers who do not leave an email addy.

I had a couple quibbles from the last chapter. One that Harry wouldn't give access to so many people. To this reviewer I will say that I think you have been reading too many fan fics. Canon Harry would trust these people with his life. Another quibble is Harry calling Remus uncle. That was more a moment of teasing/sarcasm. Maybe I didn't do a good enough job getting that across. Yes the two are becoming close friends and Harry was just playing on the fact that Remus took him to get some ice cream. shrugg As for Arthur Weasley being the head of the Order...no I don't think that will happen in book seven. But I think he gets sold short in some fics. I like his character and the integrity that he exudes. Hopefully in the coming chapters I can convince you that he is a worthy choice. Lastly, the next chapter will have more action. Yes there has been a lot of plot set up/development. Things will move a little more quickly now.

Thanks for reading. Please take the time to review!


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